Coronavirus
Save Our Stages Grants Aren’t Open Yet, But Here’s How Venues Can Get Ready
Who is eligible? The SOS Act was initially intended to solely support independent music venues when it was introduced in the summer of 2020. By the time it passed passed as part of the stimulus package in December, the now-called Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant program includes $15 billion for live performance venue operators and promoters, performing arts organizations, theatrical producers, talent representatives, motion-picture theatre operators and non-profit museums. Subsidiaries of these organizations can also be eligible. Businesses that fall under those categories must have been fully operational as of Feb. 29, 2020 and planning to continue operations in the future. In order to be eligible for the grant, the entities must be able to show at least 25% gross revenue loss in any...
Apparently Car Choirs Are a Thing Now Thanks to the Pandemic
What’s a choir to do when the pandemic makes it impossible to rehearse in person? If you ask Canadian chamber ensemble Luminous Voices, they’ll tell you the answer can be found in your car. As NPR reports, Luminous Voices have been gathering together and singing from inside their own cars. And no, they aren’t shouting out of their rolled-down windows — only irresponsible dummies like Kirk Cameron would do that. Instead, their voices are actually broadcast through each individual car’s radio system. Think of it like Fast & Furious: The Hymn Edition. College music professor David Newman first came up with the innovative “car choir” approach after seeing his Facebook friends “either bemoaning the fact that we couldn’t sing together at all, or saying ‘Singing together is too important and ...
Coronavirus takes toll on federal roads’ construction in Lagos
The ravaging effect of Coronavirus (COVID-19) was, perhaps, the biggest challenge faced by stakeholders in the road sub sector of the construction industry in 2020. As the virus gained ground, several contractors soon abandoned work and shut their operations, consequently, many hitherto gainfully employed Nigerians were thrown into the labour market. Even when the government later introduced partial lockdown measures, the number of workers on site was scaled down by many contractors in line with COVID-19 protocols, which slowed down progress of work. Virtually all road projects in Lagos State suffered the effect of the pandemic, with every project having its own peculiar challenge. The reconstruction of 46km Agbara-Seme section of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway project awarded to CGC Nigeria...
Morocco to host 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations
Morocco will be the host country for the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, the Confederation of African Football has announced. Congo had been due to welcome to the competition in 2020 until they pulled out in July 2019, leaving the event without a host before the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic a year later. Before the cancellation, Caf had made a positive step with the expansion of the African Women’s Cup of Nations from eight to 12 teams, which was the first change to the format after 11 editions. Besides that, a record total of 36 national teams have entered the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Awcon finals, with 11 countries expected to make it out of the qualification series. “Morocco has been designated host of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations,” interim...
Anambra records 89 new coronavirus cases
Anambra State has recorded 89 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in its second wave, bringing the total confirmed cases in the state to 169 as of January 13, C-Don Adinuba, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, has said. Mr Adinuba, in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Awka, urged the citizens of the state to shield themselves from the COVID-19 pandemic following the second wave in Nigeria. He said the need to repeat the precautionary call was as a result of a considerable increase across the state, with 453 confirmed cases and 334 persons discharged. According to him, it is a worrisome situation with the state having recorded a total of 14,267 tests done. He appealed to the public to comply with all precautionary measures in order to sustain the health safety m...
Iran’s smog, blackouts made worse by power-sapping crypto mining
Outages have been compounded by cryptocurrency mining, which uses banks of high-powered computers. Cities across Iran have been cloaked in thick layers of toxic smog and darkened by blackouts, as the alleged use of low-quality fuel and power-sucking cryptocurrency mining deepen the country’s hardships. Tehran’s Hamshahri newspaper, the country’s most-read daily, ran the headline, “20 Days Living in Smoke,” on Wednesday over a photo of the capital covered in smog. Power plants have been forced to switch to burning low-grade fuel oils to generate electricity because high levels of domestic consumption have led to natural-gas shortages, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh denied earlier this week that any of Iran’s power stations are us...
Governors Ball Sets 2021 Festival Dates
While optimism grows surrounding the COVID vaccine, touring and festivals have yet to resume…and for the most part, have yet to be announced. New York City’s Governors Ball is bucking that trend. In a tweet on Wednesday morning, the fest announced the dates for its 2021 edition. Instead of taking place in its usual June slot (which probably would have been extremely unlikely at best), this year’s event will happen from Sept. 24 through Sept. 26. The lineup hasn’t been revealed, but a tweet said that the new lineup is “coming soon” and that it will be different from the 2020 edition that was going to feature Tame Impala, Missy Elliott, Vampire Weekend, Stevie Nicks, Solange, Miley Cyrus among many more. “Rest assured, we are working closely with the city and state authorities to ensure...
Three Dem Congress Members Test Positive For COVID-19 After Sheltering With Nasty Republicans Who Refused To Mask-Up
Source: Earl Gibson III / Getty The fallout for Donald Trump’s cracker insurrection continues and now could have led to a super-spreader event among Congress members. As Pro-Trump white terrorists stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, Congress members were forced to take shelter in rooms together to hide from the rioters who were searching for them. After the dust settled and those who participated in the bootleg coup are getting rounded up by the feds and are being put on no-fly lists, some Democrats complained they were sheltering in a room with Republicans who refused to wear a mask to protect each other from COVID-19. “Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware approached a group of maskless Republicans — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Markwayne Mullin, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry ...
WHO: 90 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide
The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has surpassed 90 million, reaching 90,054,813 as of Wednesday, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Globally, as of 9:47 am CET (0847 GMT) on Wednesday, there have been 90,054,813 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,945,610 deaths, reported to WHO. The U.S. has remained at the top in both infection cases and fatalities, with 22,428,591 confirmed cases and 373,329 deaths reported to WHO. It’s followed by India with 10,495,147 cases and 151,529 deaths, and then Brazil, with 8,131,612 cases and 203,580 deaths. Also severely affected were Russia with 3,448,203 cases, Britain with 3,118,522 cases, France with 2,740,656 cases, Italy with 2,289,021 cases, and Spain with 2,111,782 cases. On the list of death tolls afte...
Bruce Willis Booted from LA Pharmacy for Refusing to Wear Mask
Live free… or die hard in the ICU: Bruce Willis, he of the Die Hard franchise, was asked to leave a Los Angeles pharmacy after refusing to abide by the city’s strict mask guidelines. Page Six reports Willis was shopping at a Rite Aid in LA, the current epicenter of the pandemic in the US, when some of his fellow patrons became upset that he wasn’t wearing a mask. They complained to the store’s workers, who asked Willis to follow guidelines and cover his face. Despite having a bandana around his neck that he easily could have just pulled up, the actor refused, and was asked to leave. Apparently, Willis left without much of a disagreement, but also without making his purchase. Editors’ Picks Willis had spent the early part of the pandemic quarantined in Idaho with his ex-wife, Demi Moo...
Disneyland Is Now a COVID-19 Vaccination Site
The House of Mouse is now the Pad of Jabs. According to a new statement from Orange County, CA, Disneyland will become the region’s first large Point-of-Dispensing (POD) site for the COVID-19 vaccine. Unlike its partner park in Florida, which reopened in July, Disneyland has been closed to guests since March. But later this week, the enchanted gates will open once more to inoculate Phase 1a citizens of Orange County. These include everyone 65 and older, as well as “law enforcement first responders in high-risk communities.” As a so-called “Super POD,” Disneyland should have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of people a day. Dr. Pamela Hymel, the Chief Medical Officer for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, told ABC7 that, “Disneyland Resort is proud to help support Orange C...
Aston Villa winger Trezeguet tests positive for coronavirus
Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ has tested positive for coronavirus, the Aston Villa star has confirmed. Since his head injury during an English top-flight game where the Claret and Blue Army stuttered to a 2-1 defeat by West Ham United in November 2020, the Egyptian is yet to feature for the Villa Park giants. The 26-year-old went down under the challenge of Declan Rice while trying to connect to Douglas Luiz’s flick in the 71st minute. Upon his return to first-team training at their Bodymoor Health training ground on Thursday, Trezeguet contracted the virus alongside several first-team players and staff. “After being hit in the head with six stitches, I was exposed to a tear and a hindquarter and I was not able to play for a month, then after rehabilitation and the beginning of the return to ...
