Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my life and adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside and are social distancing, I hope that my blog highlights what the world can look like after a recovery from covid-19 begins, which can only happen by following the practices listed above. Once things improve (which is not now), I hope you enjoy small gatherings with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life has returned mostly to normal.

If you find my blog interesting or enjoyable, please subscribe and let me know! To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail on the right side of the page. Once subscribed, you’ll receive an e-mail with each new post. If you have any questions about my life in Shanghai, please ask. Instructions are on the “To Comment” page. Also, please share this blog with anyone who needs reassurance that eventually life will return to a semblance of normalcy.

Life in Shanghai

I hope that this latest entry finds all of you safe and healthy. Even though 2020 has been an incredibly trying year, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I hope all of you were able to reflect on what you are thankful for. Moreover, I hope none of you made the decision to gather in large groups. While I know that this may have been difficult, in order for the covid-19 situation to improve, it’s paramount that people continue to maintain social distance practices, minimize your pod to only essential people, and generally avoid unnecessary contact and large groups.

It’s hard for me to disentangle the political and covid-19 situations in the US. So, I want to reflect on some of what’s been happening. It’s frustrating and scary that the covid-19 situation in the US is so out of control. There are over 13 million recorded cases in the US. The only other country with anywhere near as many cases is India. It frightens me that so many people were selfish and traveled or gathered in large groups. I fear that between now and Christmas, this number will only drastically rise, and thousands of people will die. I find the continued absence of empathy or acknowledgement of wrongdoing by the current administration incredibly problematic. This is not just a failure of leadership from the current (and soon to be former) President, but from the entire Republican party (Mitch McConnell’s selfish refusal for a stimulus package). Its abundantly clear that this party only cares about their own personal well being and not the greater good of America. Moreover, the pardoning of Michael Flynn is very problematic because it is a precursor to what will surely be Trump’s attempts to pardon himself. I don’t understand how so many people were so delusional as to believe that Trump was fit for office, let along doing a good enough job to warrant 4 more years. I remain scared by the division that I see from the outside when looking at the US. This division is illustrated not only in the political rhetoric and cries of a rigged election, but in the response to the seriousness of covid-19. I hope that the incoming Biden administration can assuage some of my fears, but I fear that the continued polarization of American may have reached a point of no return.

Now to transition out of politics, This was another very productive and busy week for me research wise. I finally sent off my DES Stellar Mass – Halo Mass paper to my collaborator! 🙂 So, hopefully, I’ll be submitting that paper to the collaboration in the coming week or two. I also spent a lot of time working on my Luminosity Function research. I’ve optimized the codes I used for this analysis so it’s now significantly faster than it was previously! We’re looking at the different ways we can measure the background galaxy counts, which have yielded some surprisingly interesting results. I’m also continuing to work on my DES-ACT high redshift galaxy analysis and started to measure the intra-cluster light (the faint diffuse light that surrounds a central galaxy), which is cool! Lastly, I’ve been back finalizing the analysis for my SMHM magnitude gap vs central + N satellites analysis (a project I started in March). Hopefully, that’ll be quick, because most of the paper is already written!

Outside of Astronomy, this week was dominated by preparing for Thanksgiving (lots of cooking)! In preparation for the feasting (and in an effort to burn some calories), I went running twice. It’s still warm enough to wear my short tights, which is nice, though the temperature is now down to the 50s (lows in the 40s). Additionally, on Sunday, Moishe House organized a post Thanksgiving cardio HIIT workout using resistance bands and bamboo poles, which was a lot of fun! So, I definitely got enough exercise in to counteract the feasting.

During my runs and walks I saw a lot of cool things, including a really neat Peanuts exhibit that I’ll have to go back to take a closer look at!

I thought the high rise with the Chinese pagoda on top was really cool as well!

In addition, there were some other fun highlights this week! On Tuesday, Kehilat Shanghai and Moishe House did our monthly trivia night at Tacolicious! This time, I had the pleasure of being the host. I wrote two rounds of questions, one on Judaism and Food and a second on Things people are Thankful For. It was another fun night! Though next time I hope I get to play instead of just hosting. 🙂

Additionally, the combination of the workout and Moishe House Thanksgiving allowed me to spend some time with my favorite animals! The Moishe House kitten (tentatively named Osiris) is adorable. Plus, I also got to see Kate and Ilan’s fluffy and friendly dog Pina!

In addition to the fun stuff, I also got my flu shot on Friday. I went to a local clinic (thanks to Shimi and Heather for the help setting it up) and it was nearly identical to my experience in the US. The only difference was that I needed my passport.

Thanksgiving in Shanghai

For those of you who are longtime readers, you may recall that last year, I didn’t do anything for Thanksgiving, which was a depressing. Thankfully this year was quite different. I was invited to two separate Thanksgiving celebrations on Friday night and Saturday night.

On Friday night, Moishe House hosted a Thanksgiving Shabbat! There were over 30 people in attendance. There was so much delicious food! Since turkey is so expensive they opted to do a vegetarian thanksgiving (which made me very happy)! I brought homemade stuffing (my Mom’s recipe). I also helped Hannah Maia make lentils with mushrooms, onions, squash, and a miso maple syrup sauce, which we then stuffed inside pumpkins as the centerpiece!

Other than the stuffing and Lentils, we had challah rolls, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, salad, cranberry relish, green beans, and just a ton of other delicious food. For desert there were a plethora of pies as well as delicious homemade gelato (chocolate, vanilla, salted carmel, and earl gray with blueberry swirl).

The Moishe House Thanksgiving feast was followed up by another night of delicious food and wonderful company hosted by Heather and Shimi! We had a smaller 15 person celebration on Saturday. On Wednesday, Heather and I had made seitan as a vegetarian main course, which turned out fantastically! I also made more stuffing as well as orange cauliflower, which was a huge hit! You can see pictures below. 🙂

This was another night of delicious food and even better company! In addition to what I had made, there was macaroni and cheese, potato salad, bread, cheese, edamame, and cranberry relish (plus some meat items). For desert we all enjoyed a delicious pumpkin pie that Heather had made as well as Chocolate cake and banana pancakes! Overall, it was a delicious and satisfying meal filled with great conversation with friends!

Before I conclude, I want to reflect on how lucky and grateful I am. First, I realize how fortunate I am to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with so many wonderful friends because of how China has handled covid-19. I know that for many of you, this was a particularly difficult holiday because you made the smart and safe decision and decided not to be with loved ones. While I’m sure that was difficult, I know that next year’s celebration will be that much sweeter. I also want to acknowledge and thank all of my friends who helped me celebrate Thanksgiving! After a year of not celebrating the holiday, it was so wonderful to celebrate with so many close friends here in Shanghai. Whether it was collectively enjoying the delicious food or the many interesting conversations I had over two nights of feasting, I am so grateful to have so many friends here to celebrate with. Lastly, I’d like to especially thank Heather and Hannah Maia for hosting two amazing Thanksgiving celebrations. I’m so grateful to have both of you as my close friends! Whether it’s celebrating holidays together, making jam, collaborating on events, discussing important topics such as anti-racism, or working out, I’m really thankful to have you both in my life! Thank you for being such caring, supportive, and fun friends!

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank my loving and supportive family. While I haven’t seen them all in over a year, I sent them flowers to let them know I was thinking of them. Even though I’m half a world away, thank you for being so supportive of me. Whether it’s talking about research or talking about life, I’m so grateful to always have the three of you to talk to, Thank you for being the best parents and brother that I could ever hope for.

I also want to make sure that you (my readers) know how grateful that I am for all of your interest in my life and experiences in Shanghai. It’s been a wonderful way for me to stay connected with family, friends, and community members back in the US and I’m so glad that you all get so much enjoyment out of it! Thank you for your continued support!

As you can tell, this was a very eventful, but wonderful week, filled with lots of research progress and even better celebrations with friends and family. This upcoming week will definitely be quieter and likely be quite research dominated, but I’m sure I’ll have a few fun things to share!

I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my Thanksgiving celebrations and seeing all the delicious food. If there’s anything you’re curious about with regards to my life in Shanghai, please let me know.

In peace,
Jesse

Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside and are social distancing, I hope that my blog highlights what the world can look like after a recovery from covid-19 begins, which can only happen by following the practices listed above. Once things improve (which is not now), I hope you enjoy small gatherings with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life has returned mostly to normal. Since outbreaks may still occur, it’s important that you wear masks and cooperate with social distancing guidelines so things improve.

If you find my blog interesting or enjoyable, please subscribe and let me know! To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail on the right side of the page. Once subscribed, you’ll receive an e-mail with each new post. If you have any questions about my life in Shanghai, please ask. Instructions are on the “To Comment” page. Also, please share this blog with anyone who needs reassurance that eventually life will return to a semblance of normalcy.

Life in Shanghai

I hope this latest update finds all of you continuing to stay safe and healthy. As cases drastically rise in the US, I remain very worried about all of you. So, I hope that you are all taking covid-19 seriously by wearing your face masks, washing your hands, and staying inside as much as possible. While it is promising that there are two potential vaccines that should be available soon, please remember that when the vaccine is released not everyone will be able to get it right away, so it is paramount to take precautions in the interim.

I’m not going to spend as much time talking about politics as in prior weeks, but I do want to note two things. First, the Republicans and Trump acolytes who refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election are terrifying. It scares me to think that this is the new normal, only accepting results when they are in your favor. This is the behavior of a child. This is undemocratic and treasonous actions. Cronies like Mitch McConnell who refuse to condone this behavior are no better and must be called out for it. Second, it frightens me that there have been over 200,000 cases of covid-19 in a single day and people refuse to do anything. Despite the administrations continued absence of leadership, everyone needs to take covid-19 seriously. So, again, I ask you all to not celebrate Thanksgiving in large groups (I mean outside the immediate family you live with). Marketplace (the American Public Media podcast) shared some very troubling reports that suggest that in groups greater than 10, the likelihood of an attendee being exposed to covid-19 is very high. So, please don’t put yourself in any unnecessary risky situations.

Unlike in the US, China has covid-19 under control. There’s still fear of a second wave, so precautions (like masks) are still taken on subways, buses, and taxis. However, the number of active cases is down to 65. All but 4 are imported (the 4 are residents in the area of Pudong I mentioned last week, which is quarantined). There are just 4 cases in Beijing. The recovery rate for Shanghai sits at 94.5%, while the rate for China as a whole is 94.3%.

In terms of Astronomy, this was a very productive (and very busy week). I’m just putting the finishing touches on my DES research on the Stellar Mass – Halo Mass Relation, which we plan to send to my co-authors this week! I’m excited to finally be finishing this analysis, and can’t wait to share it with the Astronomy community! I also spent a lot of time working on my Luminosity Function analysis as well. We’re still figuring out some of the issues with our different background measurements, but overall, we’re getting a good sense of how we plan to proceed for our actual science argument. I also spent some time updating the target list for our DESI secondary target proposal of spectroscopically complete galaxy clusters, using the most recent forecasts of what DESI is expected to observe. So, overall, I’ve spent a lot of time working on research, but got some positive and exciting results out of it, which makes me excited!

Despite all the work I had to do, I made time to go for two runs. The weather was very hot this week (upper 70s) until Wednesday, after which, Shanghai finally entered fall. We’re now experiencing cooler weather, with high temperatures in the 50s. Though not quite fall in Saratoga or Ann Arbor, I really enjoy the crisp cool air and needing to wear my favorite sweaters again! While I was running and walking around the city, I also saw a bunch more cool things to share with you!

I also did make time for some fun activities! On Friday, my friends and I got together for another Improv night! It’s been over a month since we last met, so it was great to flex my improv muscles again! We played a lot of different story telling and acting games. I’m generally better at the story telling or scenario games and not quite as good at the purely improvisational games. My favorite that we played this time was where each person had to write down a saying, song lyric, and action on a piece of paper. Those 3 pieces were then randomly distributed. While we were acting out scenes, we periodically had to pull the pieces of paper out and do what was on the paper immediately, which led to some funny improvisational moments!

On Saturday, before the weather got rainy, I went to the Yu Gardens! While I didn’t go into the actual gardens, the weather forecast was pretty bleak, I love walking around that area and seeing the different decorations and street art!

I thought the giant koi fish set in the sky were really cool! I also stopped by my favorite anime toy store and got some My Hero Academia figures (two will go to Emmet)!

Before I left, I had to see the traditional buildings set on the water filled with gigantic koi fish, which are always beautiful to see, regardless of the weather!

Jewish Life in Shanghai

On Sunday, Kehilat Shanghai had another Adult learning session. This time, we had a book talk by Rabbi Avram Mlotek, author of the new book Why Jews Do That, who is a politically progressive, modern orthodox Rabbi and social activist! I helped organize the talk and really enjoyed getting to hear Rabbi Avram describe how explaining many key aspects of Judaism to people that he works with (through an organization called Base Hillel) in their 20s and 30s and their partners who are not Jewish inspired him to write the book. Given the makeup of Kehilat Shanghai, he was an excellent guest for our community. The book was designed to answer many of the questions that people often have about Judaism, from the complex, How do I know if I’m a Jew, to the fun, Is there a Jewish Halloween! Many of the anecdotes and examples he used combined different pop culture references with Talmud and rabbinic liturgy to make a really engaging book. I look forward to reading my copy!

This was a very work intensive week, as expected, so it was a little quieter week for me. Next week is Thanksgiving (I have two Thanksgivings to go to!). So, I want to take the time to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! While I know this won’t be like any other celebration many of you have attended, I hope that all take the time to reflect on what you are Thankful for. I’m thankful for my health, my family’s health, the love and support of my family, the many supportive and caring friends I have here, and the opportunity to share my experiences with all of you!

I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my week and seeing the Yu Gardens again. If there’s anything you’re curious about with regards to my life in Shanghai, please let me know.

In peace,
Jesse

Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside and are social distancing, I hope that my blog highlights what the world can look like after a recovery from covid-19, which can only happen by following the practices listed above. Once things improve (which is not now), I hope you’ll look forward to small interactions with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life has returned mostly to normal. Since outbreaks may still occur, it’s important that you wear masks and cooperate with social distancing guidelines so things improve.

If you find my blog interesting or enjoyable, please subscribe and let me know! To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail on the right side of the page. Once subscribed, you’ll receive an e-mail with each new post. If you have any questions about my life in Shanghai, please ask. Instructions are on the “To Comment” page. Also, please share this blog with anyone who needs reassurance that eventually life will return to a semblance of normalcy.

Life in Shanghai

Given the continued, and incredibly frightening, rise in covid-19 cases in the US and around the world, I hope that this latest entry continues to find you, your friends, and your families safe and healthy. Regardless of whether your hometown is experiencing a large number of covid-19 cases, I hope that all of you are continuing to follow social distancing guidelines and wearing masks. Even though there is a promising vaccine (very happy Pfizer took no money from Project Warp Speed), it will still be a long time before that vaccine is made available to everyone, so it is paramount that we all do our part to minimize and restrict the growth of covid-19 cases in the coming months.

With regards to covid-19, I want to highlight the stark contrasts between how the US and China deal with covid-19. Earlier this week, there was 1 case of an airport worker who was found to have contracted covid-19 (after returning home). The area in Pudong where the worker lived was quarantined, everyone was tested, and extensive contract tracing and tests for anyone who was in the area were done by the city. There was even some fear at SJTU because one undergraduate had been in that area, but his tests came back negative. This is in stark contrast to the US, where contact tracing is not happening at all, tests are not always available and when they are, those tests are not affordable, and most people don’t bat an eye after a single case (unless they know the individual). I’m not even sure how seriously everyone is taking 100,000+ cases a day, which is really scary. While some of you may feel like contact tracing is a violation of your individual freedoms, I assure you, that it is far more comforting knowing that I have not been in contact with anyone who is sick than the opposite. So, although it’s unclear what can be done before January 20th, I again implore all of you to shrink your circles. It scares me looking at Facebook and seeing so many of my friends in groups of 10+ people. Are you really sure everyone is being as safe as they should be? Again, I implore you: DO NOT GATHER FOR THANKSGIVING. If we want the virus to slow down in the US, everyone must make sacrifices. My sacrifice is not seeing my family for over 13 months (with no hope of seeing them until the summer at the earliest — Emmet excluded), so I ask you to think about what you are sacrificing (and also what you’re not willing to) and whether it’s worth possibly infecting others. Again in order to beat this, everyone must work together for the greater good; now is not the time to be selfish.

In terms of the covid-19 statistics, the virus remains entirely under control in China. In total, there are 96 cases in Shanghai (6 in Beijing). All but one case in Shanghai is imported. The recovery rate is at 91.9%. The recovery rate for China as a whole is 94.2%. So, clearly, contact tracing, social distancing, quarantining, and mask wearing all work. Regardless of the existence of a vaccine these practices must be done.

In terms of Astronomy, this was a relatively productive week. I’m working on a bunch of different projects right now, so I didn’t make tons of progress on any single project. I’m working on the final statistical analysis associated with my Stellar Mass – Halo Mass relation project for the Dark Energy Survey (DES). I also am running further tests for our Luminosity function measurement as we work to determine when a locally selected background (a background centered on a galaxy) becomes truly random. Furthermore, I’m continuing to explore the higher-redshift DES-ACT clusters as well! Additionally, we wrapped up (for now) the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) secondary proposal review (we’re taking a break and reconvening again post Thanksgiving). Overall, I’ve really enjoyed the experience (other than the really late nights) of being on the allocation committee. I feel like it’s been a valuable process to learn what science excites others and also what makes a compelling observing proposal as well as given me much greater insight into the science goals and strategic planning of DESI!

Even though almost all of my week was spent working, I still took some time for some fun and meaningful activities. On Thursday, Moishe House had it’s 5th anti-racism workshop. This time we discussed racism in literature and the media. We began by reflecting on the 2020 presidential election, discussing our fears (many of mine were raised in last week’s post) as well as how we felt about the portrayal of Vice President – elect Kamala Harris in the media. We then moved on to discussing whether there were any portrayals in tv, movies, and literature of our own racial, religious, or gender identities that we felt had impacted us either positively or negatively. It was interesting to hear people reflect on books that they had read when they were younger and had since gone back and reread and realized how racist some of them were. Overall, this was a really interesting discussion. I had quite a few takeaways. Like with the definition of racism, not everyone agreed on whether stereotypical and racist portrayals are equally problematic and moreover, not everyone agreed that in the future we’ll look back to what we read now and see plenty of other problems — though I do. Additionally, it seemed like almost all of us found far more negative examples that had impacted us than positive. Moreover, I think that as a whole, we all need to be more cognizant of how people of different races, religions, and gender identities are portrayed. These characters can’t just be added for token diversity and need to be treated the same way you treat every other character.

Even though this was a heavy discussion, it was brought to a much lighter end, when Daniel brought his kitten down (still unnamed, they’re arguing between Morpheus and Osiris). The kitten, now 5-6 weeks old is still adorable!

The highlight of my week was on Saturday when Heather, Hannah Maia, and I got together to make Cranberry Relish! Although we usually make jam together, this time, since Thanksgiving is coming up, Hannah Maia showed us all her Dad’s recipe for Cranberry relish. In addition to cranberries, it has apples, walnuts, brown sugar, cloves, and cinnamon. Although I had no idea what it would taste like, when Hannah Maia suggested it, it came out fantastically! It’s a nice balance of tart and sweet, and I look forward to enjoying it at Thanksgiving (and maybe for breakfast as well)!

Following our relish making, the three of us ordered pizza (we got vegan pizza!) and watched some old episodes of Jeopardy, in honor of the dearly departed Alex Trebek. As I’m sure it is for many of you, Jeopardy was a nightly tradition growing up. When I lived in the US, I never missed an episode. Though sadly, it’s much harder to find while living abroad. There’s been so much good done by Jeopardy and it’s emphasis on the importance of facts and intelligence and nobody epitomized that mindset better than Alex Trebek. Rest in Peace Alex Trebek.

In addition to these fun activities, I also went running 4 times this week! Even though the sun now sets at 5pm, it’s still been relatively warm (and will be for one more week). Most days, the highs have been in the low-70s, with lows in the upper 50s, so I’m still able to run in my shorts and t-shirts! 🙂 Below, you can see some cool things I saw during my runs!

Jewish Life in Shanghai

This week, Josh, the president of Kehilat Shanghai hosted a Community Shabbat service at his home in Pudong! Even though Pudong is quite far, it took me an hour to get there, I was glad I joined. I will note that this is a different part of Pudong (which is gigantic), than the area that was quarantined. The Kabbalat Shabbat service was led by two of the teenagers who had recently done their b’nei mitzvah. Following the service we had a delicious Shabbat dinner and a lively conversation discussing topics ranging from Astronomy (If I’m there, someone always asks me something. :)) to the Kaifeng Jews in China, to the China-US relationship. Overall, it was a lovely Shabbat and I look forward to going to more community Shabbats in the future!

This was a quieter week, which after all the stress of the election was exactly what I needed. This upcoming week will again be largely research focused (hopefully with a bit more tangible progress). Additionally, I also wanted to note, that despite my best efforts, I haven’t been able to figure out how to make it so you can be notified when I respond to your comments. However, I always do read them and respond, usually within 24-48 hours.

I hope that you enjoyed hearing about my week and seeing the cranberry relish. If there’s anything you’re curious about with regards to my life in Shanghai, please let me know.

In peace,
Jesse

Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside and are social distancing, I hope that my blog highlights that the world can recover from covid-19 by following these practices. Once things improve, I hope you’ll look forward to small interactions with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life has returned mostly to normal. Since outbreaks may still occur, it’s important that you wear masks and cooperate with social distancing guidelines so things improve.

If you find my blog interesting or enjoyable, please subscribe and let me know! To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail on the right side of the page. Once subscribed, you’ll receive an e-mail with each new post. If you have any questions about my life in Shanghai, please ask. Instructions are on the “To Comment” page. Also, please share this blog with anyone who needs reassurance that eventually life will return to a semblance of normalcy.

Life in Shanghai

I’m sure this latest update finds you at what feels like the end of an exhausting and incredibly long week. Throughout this stressful time, I hope that all of you are staying safe and healthy. If you voted in person, I hope that you wore a mask. Moreover, I hope that you continue to wear masks, maintain social distancing, wash your. hands, and generally follow smart and safe guidelines.

A lot of this post is my thoughts and feelings about the 2020 election. While some of this is unique to my experience in Shanghai, others are my own personal opinions. However, after discussing the election, I will share fun highlights from my week.

It’s hard not to look back at the week and realize that the 2020 presidential election dominated every aspect of my week. Whether it was WeChat messages with friends or talking with my family, almost all my conversations (even those with my Chinese colleagues) were about the election. I want to start by saying that I’m relieved that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won! I’m excited to have a return to honesty, integrity, morality, and trusting of science in the White House. Moreover, I hope that they work to end the systemic racism that exists within the United States as they have claimed that they will.

For me, this was a very stressful week. Remember that I am 13 hours ahead of you. So, when you were watching the results come in on Tuesday night, it was Wednesday morning. When things looked bleakest on Tuesday evening, I had to nervously work through the day fearful that Trump would win. Thankfully, my former home state of Michigan (along with Wisconsin) came though that evening. Although I wasn’t super concerned about Michigan because I understood that the votes from Wayne County/Detroit were still being counted, I was happy for my friends and colleagues back in Ann Arbor! Moreover, because of the time difference, information would trickle in throughout the day. Sometimes, like when Georgia and Pennsylvania first went blue, it was when I was awake (and my family was not). Others, like when Biden and Harris won, it was when I was asleep. The 24 hour news cycle has never felt more apt for me.

Regardless of how stressful it was, it was wonderful to wake up to such good news on Sunday morning! Getting joyful messages from friends in Shanghai and family abroad, made me so happy and optimistic for the future. I hope that you share in my optimism and hope that electing Biden and Harris is the first step towards recovering from covid-19 and from the systemic problems that exist in America.

While I personally am thrilled with the election results. I also still feel a great deal of shame and embarrassment in being American. Given that over 200,000 people have died as a result of the Trump administration’s arrogant and inept handling of covid-19 combined with the racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and generally derogatory rhetoric spouted by Trump and his acolytes, it’s hard for me to rectify how 70 million people voted for Trump. If you voted for Trump, I think you really need to look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are comfortable with this kind of behavior. While you may claim that you are not a racist, by supporting this administration, you are complicit in the racism that they are advocating for. Moreover, the violent and dangerous rhetoric that Trump and his followers are spewing about a rigged election is incredibly terrifying and I pray that nothing happens in the coming weeks. While this national nightmare may be over, and some things can be quickly changed (like re-entering the Paris Climate treaty or a covid-19 national mask mandate), America must spend time reflecting and understanding that Racism, White Supremacy, and Intolerance are alive and well in America and that for many people, they are perfectly okay with this sort of offensive behavior. I believe that we can be better, we must be better, and that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can begin to lead us on this path. The first step on this path is self reflection and realizing what we all, regardless of who we voted for, can do to be better, more caring, more accepting, and more loving human beings.

Now that I’ve taken the time to reflect on the election, I want to discuss the covid-19 situation in the US. While I feel hope as a result of the election, I still feel incredibly fearful about the number of cases that are being reported each day. It’s terrifying that the US is moving toward 10 million cases. It scares me that these increases are being seen around the world. It terrifies me that over 100,000 cases are being reported every day! That is anything but slowing or halting covid-19. I hope that all of you are taking this seriously. I hope that you will not be traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas. While I’m sure not seeing your families may be hard, think of this from my perspective. Every time you take an unnecessary vacation, more people get sick. For people like me, who aren’t able to fly home, we will have to wait even longer to see loved ones. It’s already been over a year since I saw my family. Please act smart and safely and as an American people stop being selfish and work towards the greater good, which is a recovery from covid-19.

In terms of covid-19, in Shanghai, the situation is under control. All the cases that have occurred this week were imported cases (the US must mandate a real 14 day quarantine when people travel — A quarantine where you do not leave a hotel room for two straight weeks). In total, there are 98 cases (down from last week). There are 7 in Beijing. The recovery rate is 91.5%. For China, that rate is 94.2%. This is very much the status quo.

In terms of the rest of my week, despite the added stressors of the election, I was able to get some work done. We’re nearing completion on my Dark Energy Survey paper (which I’ve been saying for a while, but we’ve been enhancing the statistical analysis). Additionally, I started work on the actual science data for my Luminosity Function analysis! I also spent a bit of time reading the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) proposals and meeting with colleagues to discuss them this week (though very late at night — thank you daylight saving time). It’s a weirdly fun and interesting process and I’m glad to be a part of it (It’s the first real professional service I’ve done, which is neat!). I’ve also been working on my DES-ACT project, on high redshift clusters, which is cool! Overall I’m spreading my research resources thinly, but enjoying the research! 🙂

Other than work, I did take time to go for 3 runs this week. This was a great way for me to relieve a lot of the stress that I’d been feeling about the election, plus it got me away from the computer screen or my phone for a while. In the walks and runs I took, I also took a few more photos of Shanghai to share with you! A bunch of the photos are in the nearby Xujiahui park, which I enjoy running in/around!

I also took some time for some fun stuff! On Thursday, I went to another Unravel storytelling event with my friends Hannah Maia, Heather, and Shimi. The theme for this show was superpowers! Since these are all real life stories, these were not superhero stories, but rather stories about ways parents had inspired the storyteller or helped them overcome grief. One story focused on dealing with the death of a parent and another focused on recovering from injuries to return to marathon running. Overall, the stories were very interesting and enjoyable. The event is somewhat like a This American Life podcast, so although not all the stories matched the theme perfectly, it was a very enjoyable night!

On Saturday, I also went to the foreign language bookstore to pick up some new books! I just finished Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, so I was down to my last book. Just Mercy is an excellent book and is a very moving narrative detailing much of what is wrong with the criminal justice system in the US. I decided to get some lighter books this time and I ended up getting Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, Anthony Horowitz’s Moriarty, and The Girl in the Spider’s Web (the 4th book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Series). So, I’ll definitely have some fun fiction books to read for a while! It was a really nice experience getting to peruse aisles of books knowing that I could read them! So, I look forward to return visits when I finish these!

My favorite part of the bookstore is that on the top floor, they have manga! Although all of it was in Japanese (I think), it was really cool getting to see a lot of my favorite titles! I even bought a few volumes for the collection that Emmet and I share!

Food in Shanghai!

On Wednesday evening, following an exhausting election day, my friends Hannah Maia and Anton joined me for a fantastic vegan dinner! We went to an event sponsored by a new vegan plant based protein, Zee-ai.

We had a great four course meal of lentil and artichoke soup, vegan chick’n nuggets, mushrooms with zee-ai, and coconut cake! The soup was my favorite! It was a great way to unwind after a stressful Wednesday.

On Thursday, before Unravel, I got dinner with my friends as well!

We got spicy peanut noodles, stir friend sword beans — both of these are favorites of mine, steamed vegetables, shuijiao — dumplings, and boazi — bao buns. Everything was really great! Special thanks to my friends for making sure everything was vegetarian!

Jewish Life in Shanghai

As part of the Tov! religious school that Kehilat Shangahi runs, we are doing adult learning sessions. The idea of this is to discuss topics of interest (sometimes Jewish, or related to Judaism, others not), each week presented by different community members. This week’s session focused on Jewish Gangsters! Josh, the Kehilat president, gave a really interesting presentation on the history of Jewish gangsters in the US (Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Seigel,…) as well as how there were also Jewish gangsters in Shanghai! We then had a long discussion about how we should feel about these gangsters. Should they be admired for standing up to Nazi’s or condemned for still committing crimes. Overall, it was an interesting discussion and a fun way to spend a Sunday morning. And yes, I plan to give an Astronomy talk at a future session!

This was a stressful week, but thankfully, it had a happy ending! I hope that all of you are equally relieved that the election has finally been called. I hope that this upcoming week will be a little bit more relaxing. Also, before I forget, Lucky safely made it home to Israel and is back with her family!

I hope that you enjoyed hearing my thoughts about the election. If you have any thoughts on the election, please share them. I also hope that you enjoy seeing all the delicious food I tried this week! If there’s anything you’re curious about, please let me know.

In peace,
Jesse

Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for following my blog and for your interest in my adventures in Shanghai! As covid-19 continues to plague the US, and you are (hopefully) wearing masks when you go outside and are social distancing, I hope that my blog highlights that the world can recover from covid-19 by following these practices. Once things improve, I hope you’ll look forward to small interactions with friends and family. I’m sure you’ll find that these interactions meaningful and enjoyable. In Shanghai, life has returned mostly to normal. Since outbreaks may still occur, it’s important that you wear masks and cooperate with social distancing guidelines so things improve.

If you find my blog interesting or enjoyable, please subscribe and let me know! To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail on the right side of the page. Once subscribed, you’ll receive an e-mail with each new post. If you have any questions about my life in Shanghai, please ask. Instructions are on the “To Comment” page. Also, please share this blog with anyone who needs reassurance that eventually life will return to a semblance of normalcy.

Life in Shanghai

I hope that this latest entry continues to find all of you, your families, and your friends continuing to be safe and healthy. As the covid-19 situation continues to get worse throughout the US and Europe, I hope that all of you are being smart. Please wear masks, continue to practice social distancing, work from home (if possible), wash your hands, and generally be cautious and smart. Even though covid-19 is no longer directly impacting my life in Shanghai, the situation elsewhere keeps it constantly at the forefront of my mind. So, please do everything you can do to be safe. The last thing I want to hear is that one of you is sick.

For the last time this election cycle, I want to encourage all of you to vote. While I’m happy to report that many of you have already voted, I want to encourage all of you to make sure that your friends, neighbors, and students (most importantly) have voted. America is in desperate need of change and this is our opportunity for improvement. While a single election won’t eliminate the polarization, division, racism, and hate that exists and is being sown throughout the US, by electing Vice President Biden and Senator Harris, we can go a long way in repairing the lasting damage that the current administration and it’s enablers have done. Hopefully, next week, I’ll be telling you how I celebrated with friends after the election.

In terms of covid-19, the situation in China remains under control. The numbers continue to creep up in Shanghai. However, we’re still dealing with an incredibly small number of cases. Moreover, all of these are imported of cases, where the people are tested immediately upon arrival into the Shanghai airport and are not allowed elsewhere or home until after they are no longer infectious. So, China is taking strong precautions (what the US must do) to prevent a second wave. In total, there are 100 active cases in Shanghai, which corresponds to a recovery rate of 90.9%. In Beijing, there are currently 4 cases. In total, for China, the recovery rate is 94.3%.

In terms of research, this was a fairly productive week. I went in to the office twice. It’s a nice 25 minute walk to the bus from my new apartment! As I started working as part of the Telescope Allocation Committee for the DESI secondary proposals, much of my week was spent reading over these proposals (most of which were very interesting). So far, it’s been an interesting experience serving on the Committee, though with daylight saving time, the meetings will be later, which will mean more late nights. I think that it’s been very beneficial to learn what topics are important for other areas of Astronomical research. Additionally, I spent more time working on my Luminosity Function analysis as well as starting my analysis of the higher redshift (out to z~1.0) DES-ACT clusters. So, I’m currently balancing a lot of different and interesting research projects!

In addition to my work, I went for 3 runs! I’ve really enjoyed using my runs as opportunities to start exploring the areas surrounding my new apartment. Also, on Thursday, I went running with Heather! This was the first (hopefully not last) time I’ve gone running with anyone here in Shanghai and reminded me of running in Saratoga with my Dad, Boston with Emmet, or Ann Arbor with my friend Juliette! The streets are wide enough, so it was really nice to talk to someone throughout my runs instead of just being plugged in to the latest episodes of the many podcasts I enjoy. 🙂 Below are some highlights from my runs and walks around Xuhui!

This week was Halloween! From my understanding, Halloween has been imported to China via the ex-pat communities. Many bars, stores, and restaurants put up decorations and host parties (some for kids , too). I saw lots of people (both ex-pat and Chinese) dressed up. However, I don’t think that trick or treating happens, and there’s definitely no explosion of the candy market like what happens in the US. However, it was a fun excuse to hang out with my friends and dress up! On Saturday night, Moishe House hosted a Halloween Party at a Roller Skating bar! Sadly, the actual skating rink was much smaller than I expected, which made skating a little difficult. However, it was still a lot of fun!

For my costume this year, I went as the Milky Way Galaxy!

I used cardboard and glow in the dark star stickers to make the Milky Ways spiral arms! I thought it was a really great costume! Plus, I now have some decorations for my bedroom! 🙂

However, the best costume went to my friends Kate, Ilan, and Pina, who dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, the woodcutter, and grandma! If you look closely, you can even see that Pina is wearing glasses! 🙂

Following Saturday’s Halloween festivities, on Sunday, Moishe House hosted another party, this time a joint birthday and goodbye party for Lucky, the dog that they’ve been fostering. Lucky will be going back to Israel to be with her family. The Israeli government is chartering a flight to return pets of Israeli citizens who were left behind in China. So, while we’re all happy that Lucky gets to go home to her family, we’ll all miss her at the Moishe House!

As you can see Hannah Maia got Lucky an adorable birthday cake, made of chicken and cheese.

Just as the Moishe House lost one pet, they’ve actually gained another. Daniel found a tiny abandoned Kitten in their complex and decided to take it in and care for it (and essentially adopt it). So, on Sunday, I got to spend some time playing with a very tiny and incredibly cute kitten! It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to play with a cat, so I really enjoyed it! The kitten is about 3-4 weeks old, so I’m sure I’ll share some photos as it grows over time!

So, as you can see, I had a very fun, animal, and friend filled weekend! I’m really glad that I have so many friends here in Shanghai so that I’m always able to do fun things when I need a break from work!

Jewish Life in Shanghai

On Friday, I was invited to another of the Kehilat Shanghai Family Shabbats! Even though I don’t have a family here in Shanghai, it’s really enjoyable for me to be invited to these and I’m grateful to continue to be included! It’s been a wonderful opportunity to get to know a lot of the different community members as well as get a sense for what’s important to the community. It also brings back fond dinners with my cousin Margaret and her family while I was living in Ann Arbor!

Overall, this was a very nice and productive week! I’m still really enjoying my apartment and I got to do a lot of fun social activities with my friends, while also getting to play with their pets! Next week should be another productive research week, but I already have some fun activities planned as well!

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my Halloween photos and the photos of Lucky and the new kitten! If there’s anything you’re curious about, please let me know.

In peace,
Jesse