Coronavirus
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Tests Positive for COVID-19
Source: BET2020 / Getty The coronavirus pandemic is anything but a hoax. Today (July 6), Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19. COVID-19 has literally hit home. I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive. — Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) July 6, 2020 Mayor Bottoms took to Twitter to reveal her diagnosis. “COVID-19 has literally hit home,” she tweeted this evening. “I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.” Lance Bottoms has been in the thick of it, guiding Atlanta through the coronavirus pandemic and countless protests after the murder of George Floyd as well as Rayshard Brooks. Soon after breaking the news, she was a guest on MSNBC and spoke about the ramifications of her predicament. “This is startling for me because we’...
Kanye West’s Yeezy Company Received a PPP Loan for Over $2 Million
Kanye West, a literal billionaire, sought a government-backed loan to pay his employees during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Small Business Administration (via The Daily Beast), the 2020 presidential candidate (?) has received between $2 and $5 million for his Yeezy fashion line company through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program. The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program was created so that companies with 500 or fewer employees could apply for loans to cover the cost of eight weeks of payroll, up to two and a half times the company’s average monthly payroll costs, with a cap of $10 million total. It’s weird to think Kanye’s “small business” was allegedly in dire need of financial support despite its expensive shoes regularly selling out, its branc...
Minister Louis Farrakhan Delivers July 4 Speech Addressing State of Black America
Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty Minister Louis Farrakhan had some choice words for those in power and skeptics with his latest speech, “The Criterion.” Delivered on Saturday ( Jul 4), Min. Farrakhan addressed the current state of affairs in America, the world, the coronavirus global pandemic, and other critical subjects including the onslaught of racism and police brutality in America, and the death of one of his disciples Abdul Hafeez Muhammad, on Independence Day, which also marks the 90th anniversary of the existence of the Nation of Islam in America. “This message will not just be for Muslims; it is not just for Christians; it is not just for Jews, it is for every inhabitant of this planet,” Minister Farrakhan said. “I say to you with deep humility from the 25th Surah of the Qur...
Study: Horror Fans Have Shown “Greater Resilience During the Pandemic”
The best way to prepare for a pandemic is to go through a different pandemic, and it doesn’t hurt to participate in some alien invasions or the odd zombie apocalypse. According to a new study, horror fans and “morbidly curious” people have shown “greater resilience during the pandemic.” The research into psychological coping was conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago, Penn State, and Denmark’s Aarhus University. It hasn’t yet been peer reviewed, but a preprint has been giving the internet goosebumps. By looking at 310 individuals, researchers came to the conclusion that “exposure to frightening fictions allow audiences to practice effective coping strategies that can be beneficial in real-world situations.” They wrote, “We found that fans of horror films exhibited greater res...
Axl Rose Calls on Surgeon General to Resign: “America Deserves Better”
Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has called on US Surgeon General Jerome Adams to resign following a recent television appearance in which Adams seemingly prioritized Donald Trump’s personal approval over the personal safety of millions of Americans. When asked on The Today Show whether he’d advise Americans to go to a large gathering, such as Donald Trump’s various events during the Fourth of July weekend, Adams evaded answering the question directly. “It’s not a yes or no,” Adams said. “Every single person has to make up their own mind. There are going to be people going to beaches, going to barbecues, going to different environments. And they have to look at their individual risk.” (For context, Trump’s Fourth of July event at Mount Rushmore drew a crowd of several thousand, with few peo...
Tom Cruise Allowed to Skip 14-Day Quarantine in the UK So He Can Resume Filming Mission: Impossible 7
Even in the middle of a pandemic, being a celebrity has its privileges. According to Variety, Tom Cruise is being allowed to bypass a 14-day travel quarantine in the UK so that he can resume production on Mission: Impossible 7. UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden said Cruise would be among a small group of cast and crew members exempt from quarantine “as part of of our continued commitment to getting cameras rolling safely again.” “The world’s biggest blockbusters and high-end TV shows are made in Britain. Our creativity, expertise and highly successful tax reliefs for our screen industries means that we are an in demand location that in turn delivers a great return for our economy,” Dowden explained. “We want the industry to bounce back and exempting small numbers of essential cast an...
Hilary Duff Embarrassed for U.S. Response to COVID-19, Jokes She’s Running for President
Hilary Duff is calling out her fellow citizens who aren’t protective wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. The 32-year-old singer and actress took to Instagram on Saturday (July 4) to express her frustration after driving by a party in Los Angeles where people did not have their faces covered. “Drove by a raging house party on Mulholland. A–holes. No masks (of course). Girls in bathing suits and louboutins waiting to get in like a line at a club,” Duff captioned a series of family photos. “California is in bad shape (in so many ways) but doesn’t everyone think we all want to go out freely and travel and enjoy summer.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom has noted that people in the Golden State — including cities in L.A. County — could be iss...
300 Teens Exposed to Coronavirus During Beer Pong Tournament
Hundreds of teenagers were exposed to coronavirus during a beer pong tournament in Texas last weekend. The Star-Telegram reports that about 300 high school students participated in a “pong fest” tournament near Lakeway, Texas on Saturday, June 27th. Several of those who attended the event have already tested positive for coronavirus, while others are still awaiting to hear back on their test results. Regardless of the final number of positive tests, the sheer scale of the exposure is putting a strain on the local health system. “The city is trying to get a handle on who attended, and the numbers are so big, contact tracing everyone is not possible,” Lakeway Mayor Sandy Cox explained. “Hopefully we can contain this. The worst thing that can happen is that we don’t contain this.” Texas has e...
First Socially Distanced Music Venue in Open in the UK This Summer
Music fans in the UK may get to experience live music sooner than some health experts have predicted. The country’s first socially distanced music venue, the Virgin Money Unity Arena, will allegedly open in Newcastle this summer, reports NME. The venue was created in a partnership between the teams behind This Is Tomorrow Festival, SSD Concerts, and Virgin Money. Using a series of mapped out “viewing areas” for individuals and small groups akin to raised platforms — each viewing area is at least two meters away from the other viewing areas surrounding it, generously abiding by social distancing measures — they were able to transform the outdoor space at Newcastle Racecourse into a music festival-style layout. Food and drinks can also be pre-ordered using a one-way system. Toilet facil...
Lady Gaga Shows Off ‘Chromatica’ Face Mask: ‘Be Yourself, But Wear a Mask’
Lady Gaga posted a selfie encouraging her 42.7 million Instagram followers to wear a mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. Along with the message, the pop star offered a look at her personal face mask: a glittery Chromatica-themed covering, with spikes and chains. “Be yourself, but wear a mask!” she wrote on Friday (July 3). “I believe in being kind to yourself, the community, and the planet. I challenge my awesome friends to show off their mask game!” “I need that,” Mark Ronson commented on her picture. The CDC says wearing face masks can help prevent people who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others, and recommends anyone over the age of two wear them in public settings or around those who do not live in one’s household. Check out Gaga...
FCE Osiele shuts down after a health worker dies of coronavirus
The management of the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta has shut down the institution for two weeks after a medical personnel at the school’s health centre died as a result of complications arising from coronavirus. According to a report, two other workers of the institution’s Medical Centre have also tested positive for the virus. While announcing the closure of the school in a statement on Friday, July 3, 2020, the institution’s Registrar, Adedayo Adebayo, said, a report carried out “attributed the cause of death of one of the medical personnel that transited to immortality lately to complications that arose from COVID-19. “Regrettably, the two other staff of the medical centre similarly tested positive to the viral infection and have been placed on isolation and undergoing ...
BBNaija new housemates in isolation ahead of show’s premier
Organisers of the reality show, Big Brother Naija, say all new members of the show are currently in isolation ahead of the July 19, 2020 premier of Season 5. MultiChoice, which broadcasts the show, said in a virtual press briefing that organisers are collaborating with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to guarantee the highest form of precaution and safety control for the housemates and the production crew. “They will be monitored whilst in quarantine until they are deemed fit health-wise. Anyone that shows signs of ill health, will as expected not be a part of the show.” The broadcaster said the Big Brother House has been disinfected and won’t be available to anyone until the housemates arrive. Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, also emphasized that even before...
