COVID-19
Bass Coast Music Festival Officially Postponed to Summer 2022
The beloved Canadian boutique festival Bass Coast has announced the postponement of its 2021 event. Bass Coast is the latest music festival forced to make the difficult decision to postpone due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an official statement, organizers explained that “without knowing what public health measures will be in place this July, we lack the critical information necessary to contract infrastructure, book artists and secure vendors.” Originally scheduled for July, the festival’s 12th edition is now tentatively set for July 8th to 11th, 2022. Organizers indicated that all current ticket-holders will have their 2021 passes automatically transferred to 2022 and that “subsequent years will [also] be bump...
U.S. pledges sustained help for India in tackling coronavirus crisis
Senior U.S. officials on Tuesday pledged sustained support for India in helping it deal with the world’s worst current surge of COVID-19 infections, warning the country is still at the “front end” of the crisis and overcoming it will take some time. The White House’s National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, told a virtual event on the U.S. assistance that President Joe Biden had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a phone call on Monday: “You let me know what you need and we will do it.” Campbell said at the event, organized by the U.S.-India Business Council and U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, that Washington was committed to helping the world’s second most populous country get to grips with the crisis. “We all have to realize that this is no...
Senator Saraki urges Nigerian government to seek help over escalating insecurity
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to seek help wherever it could to address the escalating insecurity in the country. Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that calling for help in the present situation of the country was not a sign of weakness. He said he was worried over cases of violence, kidnapping and terrorism recorded on Monday in Anambra, Kaduna, Yobe, Niger, Lagos states and many parts of the country. The ex-senate president reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to convene meeting of all those who could help in finding solutions to the problem at hand. ”The people include former presidents and heads of state, serving and former chief justices, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly...
Burning Man 2021 Canceled Due to Coronavirus
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-27T20:27:36+00:00“>April 27, 2021 | 4:27pm ET For the second straight year, Burning Man has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell made the announcement on Tuesday, saying they will “double down” on the event in 2022. Burning Man was originally scheduled for August 26th through September 3rd in Black Rock City, Nevada. Goodell issued the following statement during a live video announcement: “For 2021, we know the need for community has never been stronger, and building community is what Burners do best. We also recognize the pandemic is not over. We’ve heard your feedback, and we’re really grateful for all of the work you have been doing to pre...
Joe Rogan Tells Young People Not to Get COVID-19 Vaccine
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-27T21:25:04+00:00“>April 27, 2021 | 5:25pm ET Joe Rogan, who once coached the contestants of Fear Factor through drinking donkey semen, now says that healthy young people shouldn’t be vaccinated against COVID-19. Via Media Matters, the highly compensated Spotify podcast host and all-around moron contradicted CDC guidelines on his April 23rd episode, saying, “If you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, should I get vaccinated? I go no.” Rogan has long advocated for a kind of “thinking for yourself” that is unrecognizable as thinking: giving a platform to far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, spreading misinformation about the novel coronavirus, and repeatedly att...
Women lament high cost of food items, consumables in Makurdi
Residents, particularly housewives in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, have lamented the increase in prices of food items. A survey conducted by NAN on Tuesday in Makurdi showed that prices of food items have been increasing on a daily basis. Many housewives interviewed by newsmen said that feeding their families has now become very difficult as the prices of essential food items have multiplied in the past few months. Mrs Rose Onazi, a housewife, said that the sharp rise in prices of various goods, especially food and household items, has made nonsense of the amount she receives as a monthly housekeeping allowance from her husband. Onazi said that many of the items she bought a week before had increased either by 50 per cent, 100 per cent or even more. She said that the development had s...
Spotify Launched a Vaccination Playlist—Here’s Why That’s a Little Weird
Thanks to Spotify, there’s a playlist for everything—even your COVID-19 vaccination. According to a recent blog post published by the streaming giant, Spotify listeners have created more than 7,700 vaccine-related playlists globally in 2021. In the 90 days leading up to the post they noted a 350% increase in fan-generated Spotify playlists specific to COVID-19 inoculation, with many even naming their selections after the manufacturers responsible for the vaccine flowing through their veins. So Spotify launched “Vaccine Songs,” a whimsical playlist “to help soundtrack your own vaccine journey.” With tracks ranging from clever puns (“Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar) to low-hanging fruit (“The Cure” by Lady...
Van Morrison Blames Negative Reaction to Anti-Lockdown Songs on Lack of Freedom of Speech
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-26T17:15:23+00:00“>April 26, 2021 | 1:15pm ET Van Morrison has been an outspoken critic of the UK COVID-19 lockdowns, going as far as releasing an anti-lockdown song series. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the Irish musician claimed the negative reaction to his song series is the product of freedom of speech no longer being “in the framework.” Seeming to confuse freedom of speech with freedom from criticism, Van Morrison remarked, “A few people got a petition together to end the lockdown, but nobody pays attention to petitions, do they? If I can write about it, I do. Poetic licence, freedom of speech . . . these used to be OK. Why not now? I don’t understand it. Some peopl...
Zimbabwe street vendors reel under virus curbs
For years, Zimbabwean single mother Spiwe Tembo would sell buns on the streets of central Harare, earning enough to feed her three children. But her fortunes have dived. Since authorities banned street hawkers a year ago as part of a raft of measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, she plays cat-and-mouse with the police who comb the streets to rid them of vendors. “Things are tough,” the 34-year-old said, waving a packet of large buns to potential customers on a busy street in a part of Harare that locals call “Third World” because it is always teeming. She said: “We get arrested by municipal and national police. Almost daily I pay bribes to police officers to avoid getting arrested.” On the days she doesn’t have any cash, the inevitable happens and she is arrested and her wares seized. ...
Festival Workers Bemoan EDC Las Vegas Postponement: “We’re Used to Bad News”
The “Headliners” aren’t the only ones reeling from the postponement of EDC Las Vegas. The COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal for the live music scene, and while fans have certainly felt its absence, the impact of the virus has been particularly devastating for music festival workers and venue crews. The lighting technicians who painstakingly retrofit stages with the rigs responsible for blowing minds; the security guards who grab creepy men by their collars and throw them out like Uncle Phil launches Jazz in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; the ticket scanners who literally open the gates of the most memorable times of music fans’ lives. These people are often overlooked by the music community at large despite their pivotal roles in ensuring special and safe experie...
Electric Forest Officially Postponed to Summer 2022
Earlier this month Electric Forest organizers released a critical update about the fate of the 2021 edition of the beloved Rothbury music festival. Addressing the uncertainty of the pandemic, they stated that if the event were to happen this year, it would be in August, offering a glimmer of hope for prospective festival-goers. Despite ongoing efforts to make the four-day experience happen, it has been officially announced today that there will be no gathering at Electric Forest this year. In an official statement, organizers explained that “postponing to 2022 is our only course of action” due to COVID-19 concerns. The 2021 edition of Rothbury’s Electric Forest music festival has been moved to summer 2022. Electric Forest (via Twitter) For c...
Burning Man Organizers Backpedal After Criticism for Mandatory Vaccination Comments
After falsely claiming that the state of Nevada requires proof of vaccination at large-scale events, the organizers of Burning Man have backpedaled and addressed concerns from the festival’s community. According to the New York Post, the counter culture community lambasted CEO Marian Goodell after an April 8th update in which she suggested that the iconic festival would require proof of inoculation to gain entry. An ensuing video message shared by Goodell confirmed the plans. “We are super aware [of concerns] and thank you for your feedback, and we are weighing the gravity of what that does,” Goodell said in an ensuing statement shared on April 17th. “And we know that [mandatory vaccination] challenges the concepts of radical inclusion, but at this po...
