Coronavirus
Common’s #WeMatterToo Campaigns For Early Jail Releases Amid Pandemic
Rapper and activist Common went into quarantine concerned about incarcerated people he has met during visits to jails, prisons and juvenile detention centers around the U.S. and who aren’t able to maintain social distance or adopt rigorous hygiene routines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “It’s a troubling time for them,” Common said, “because they are the people who usually are overlooked.” On Wednesday, his criminal justice reform organization Imagine Justice launched a campaign with dozens of advocacy and activist groups calling attention to the threat that the coronavirus pandemic poses on millions of men, women and youths who are incarcerated in the U.S. The campaign, dubbed #WeMatterToo, is urging authorities to immediately release people who have served the vast majority of their ...
Naomi Osaka using lockdown to conquer inner demons
Two-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is using the novel coronavirus shutdown as one of self reflection to try and overcome her crippling shyness. The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the hiatus will continue until at least mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus. Japan’s Osaka, who trains in the United States, the country worst affected by the flu-like virus with over 1.4 million infections and more than 83,000 deaths, is taking advantage of the extended break to do some soul searching. “I think people know me as being really shy… I want to take the quarantine time to just think about everything, and for me, I have a lot of regrets before I go to sleep,” Osaka told CNN Sport. Petra Kvitova said last year Osaka would hav...
WHO warns virus may be here to stay as toll nears 300,000
The coronavirus may never go away and populations will have to learn to live with it just as they have HIV, the World Health Organization has warned, as the global death toll from the disease nears 300,000. There were also gloomy forecasts from the US Federal Reserve, which said prolonged shutdowns to stem the spread of the virus could cause lasting economic damage in America. Washington ratcheted up tensions over the pandemic by accusing China of trying to steal research into a vaccine, while US President Donald Trump upped the rhetoric with a colourful phrase that could anger Beijing. “We just made a great Trade Deal, the ink was barely dry, and the World was hit by the Plague from China. 100 Trade Deals wouldn’t make up the difference — and all those innocent lives lost!” Trump tweeted....
Arkansas Governor Issues Cease and Desist Over Planned Rock Concert
Arkansas will have to wait for its first rock concert as the state’s governor has issued a cease-and-desist order to the venue planning to stage the event. As previously reported, Bishop Gunn singer/guitarist Travis McCready was set to play a limited-capacity concert at TempleLive in Forth Smith, Arkansas on Friday, May 22nd. It was to mark the first such live event to take place in the country since COVID-19 effectively shuttered the live music industry. In order to adhere to social distancing guidelines, TempleLive had shed its capacity by 80%. Of the 229 seats available, tickets were sold in groups of two to 12. Additionally, all attendees would have had their temperature taken before entering the venue, and were required to wear face masks. The venue also planned to sell pre-packa...
PDP chides federal government for ‘denying’ Rivers, other states help
File Photo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday chided Federal Government (FG) for denying Rivers and other states of the federal significant support in the fight against Coronavirus. National Chairman, PDP, Prince Uche Sencondus, expressed disappointment over the development at a stakeholder gathering in Port Harcourt to inaugurate the new Rivers PDP Executive Committee (EXCO) chaired by Ambassador Desmond Akawor. Secondus said, “Governors are working without help from the Federal Government. But for God, the situation would have been worse. Governors are running from pillar to post. “We must be grateful to Governor Wike for the initiative he took. What the Governor has done has helped to drastically reduce the number of cases. Rivers is lucky to have Governor Wike at this time of ...
Michael Jackson Broadway Musical Pushed Back Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
A stage musical about Michael Jackson has pushed its Broadway debut until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Preview performances of “MJ” are now set to begin in March 2021 at the Neil Simon Theatre. The musical — previously called “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” — was to start performances in New York City on July 6. The musical is inspired by Jackson’s life and music. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage is writing the book, using Jackson’s vast catalog of songs. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph and Ephraim Sykes will star as Jackson. Jackson sold millions of records and was a 13-time Grammy winner. In 1983 he became an international icon with the release of “Thriller,” the best-selling album with such hits as “Beat It” and “Billie Jean.”...
WHO: Coronavirus may never go away
The new coronavirus may never go away and populations around the world will have to learn to live with it, the World Health Organization warned Wednesday. As some countries around the world begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions imposed in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus from spreading, the WHO said it may never be wiped out entirely. The virus first emerged in Wuhan in China late last year and has since infected more than 4.2 million people and killed nearly 300,000 worldwide. “We have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it,” said Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director. “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away,” he told a ...
Alanis Morissette to Host Cast and Crew of Jagged Little Pill for Livestream Benefit
Right before the lockdown started, I was lucky enough to take in performance of the truly phenomenal Jagged Little Pill. With Broadway remaining closed through at least Labor Day, it’ll be some time before people get to witness the stage show again. Thankfully, Alanis Morissette will bring a piece of the production into your home when she hosts the cast and crew for a benefit livestream on Tuesday, May 19th. Dubbed “You Live, You Learn: A Night with Alanis Morissette and Jagged Little Pill” and taking place from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. EDT on the Jagged Little Pill Facebook and YouTube pages, the event will benefit the Actors Fund’s COVID-19 relief efforts. As Rolling Stone reports, Morissette will perform and co-host the livestream with SafePlace International founder Justin Hilton The event wi...
Those Slick Quarantine Band Performances Are Harder to Pull Off Than You Think
From Dua Lipa to Blue Oyster Cult to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, bands have been figuring out how to perform remotely during the pandemic. Blue Öyster Cult has played its rampaging-beast classic “Godzilla” 2,270 times, in theaters and casinos, at state fairs and festivals — the first time at the Maple Leaf Gardens, in Toronto, on June 21, 1977, and the last time at Robins Theatre, in Warren, Ohio, on March 8. But until late April, the pioneering hard-rock band’s five members had never done it remotely from their homes, during quarantine, mixed together into a YouTube grid of separate rectangular boxes. “We basically treated it like a gig,” says Richie Castellano, the band’s guitarist and keyboardist, who produced the “lock-down” ve...
New Order and Pet Shop Boys Postpone Co-Headlining Tour Due to Coronavirus
In response to the ongoing health crisis, New Order and Pet Shop Boys have decided to postpone their co-headlining tour. Originally, the “Unity Tour” was supposed to see the two new wave groups trek across North America this September and October. Dates included stops in Toronto, New York, and Chicago, as well as Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Both acts were expected to play full sets, with the headliner alternating each evening. According to a press statement, New Order and Pet Shop Boys are currently rescheduling the tour for September 2021 and the new itinerary will be unveiled “shortly.” Purchased tickets will “remain valid for the new dates but refunds will be available in due course.” Editors’ Picks “Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe, and...
Slipknot Cancel North American Knotfest Roadshow Tour Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
One of metal’s most anticipated tours, Slipknot’s North American “Knotfest Roadshow”, has been called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it seemed inevitable, Slipknot officially canceled the trek on Wednesday (May 13th), just a few weeks before the tour was slated to begin. Moreover, the band also postponed its Knotfest at Sea cruise and canceled its Knotfest UK festival, both set for August. The month-long “Knotfest Roadshow” had been scheduled to kick off May 30th in Syracuse, New York, and run through a June 25th show in The Woodlands, Texas. In addition to headliners Slipknot, the outing was to feature A Day to Remember, Underoath, and Code Orange. The Slipknot-headlined Knotfest at Sea cruise, slated to set sail from Barcelona on August 10th, featured a bill that included Behemo...
Banji Akintoye: South-West won’t tolerate influx of Almajirai
The leader of Yoruba World Congress, YWC, Professor Banji Akintoye, on Wednesday, warned that the South-West would no longer tolerate the influx of Almajirai into the zone, saying most of them have been infected with the COVID-19. He called on the governors to tighten the border patrols in their respective states to prevent the influx of Almajirai into the South-West. Akintoye spoke about Almajirai in the South-West with Vanguard in an interview, noting that “the northern governors seem to have woken up from the Almajiri problem created by the northern culture. “Now, they are forcing the Almajirai to go back to their places of origin, but many of them don’t want to be taken back. So, many are finding their way southwards. “It is a very terrible situation because these are not just ordinary...
