Coronavirus News (141)

Democrats seek to tap into fury over George Floyd

Protesters tear down statue of slave trader as anti-racism demonstrations take place worldwide

With no active Covid-19 cases, New Zealand is lifting almost all its coronavirus restrictions

How to reform American police, according to experts As protesters demonstrate against police violence, here are eight ideas for reforming law enforcement in the US. ..........  After the founding of the country, police enforced explicitly racist laws on slavery and segregation. In more recent decades, law enforcement has been at the forefront of enforcing policies in the war on crime and drugs that have culminated in massive racial disparities — in police stops, use of force, arrests, incarceration, the death penalty, and just about every other aspect of the criminal justice system. .........  “In most cities across the nation, 3 to 5 percent of city blocks account for 50 to 75 percent of all shootings and killings, with 1 percent of a city’s population responsible for 50 to 60 percent of all homicides.” 

U.S. Businesses Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism In a week that focused on “reopening the economy,” everyone has become keenly aware that there is more than one pandemic affecting U.S. lives and local economies. As the American Psychological Association has declared, “we are living in a racism pandemic” too. .........   We now see and hear Black people who are suffering from the weight of dehumanizing injustice and the open wound of racism that has been festering for centuries. Black leaders like Robert Sellers, the University of Michigan’s vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, are openly sharing their feelings of exasperation. Blogs like Danielle Cadet’s caution readers that “Your black colleagues may look like they’re okay – chances are they’re not.” Another social media message that has gone viral really struck us: “There are black men and women in Zoom meetings maintaining ‘professionalism,’ biting their tongues, holding back tears and swallowing rage, while we endure attacks from a pandemic and police. Understand and be mindful.”   ........... how organizations respond to large-scale, diversity-related events that receive significant media attention can either help employees feel psychologically safe or contribute to racial identity threat and mistrust of institutions of authority ...........  many managers also think they lack the skills to have difficult conversations around differences. ............ “If you are neutral in the situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” ......  “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ...........  when learning about police brutality against unarmed Black people, one reaction might be to search for evidence about what the victim did to deserve abuse, rather than demonstrating compassion and empathy. Another example is diminishing protesters by focusing on and judging those who engaged in looting instead of discussing the unjust act that drove people to the streets. ............ comments on systemic inequalities are not personal attacks. ......... Instead of presuming that all members of your in-group or out-group think and feel similarly and talking about what “everybody knows,” how “all of us feel,” and what “none of us would ever do,” leave room for dissenting points of view. When in doubt, ask employees about their individual experiences to honor their uniqueness. Think about how you can allow your employees to discuss what’s happening without putting them on the spot or asking them to speak for everyone in their identity group. ............  committing to lifelong learning about racism. Seek the facts about racist events, as well as the aggressions and microagressions that your minority coworkers have most likely faced inside and outside of your organization. ............  People are looking for leaders to affirm their right to safety and personhood and help them feel protected. When presidents, governors, mayors and sheriffs aren’t doing so, corporate, university, and non-profit leaders can. ........ Joan Gabel, president of the University of Minnesota, ending contracts with the Minneapolis Police Department after George Floyd’s death. Franklin Templeton Investments fired executive employee Amy Cooper after her interaction with Chris Cooper in Central Park. ................ Racism isn’t just Black people’s problem; it’s everyone’s problem because it erodes the fabric of society. 

All of a sudden, people are talking about a V-shaped recovery again: ‘The stock market had it right’

Orange County distributes PPE to phase two businesses

ESPN's new Bruce Lee documentary, 'Be Water,' is a 'must-watch' look at racism in Hollywood, critics say

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless – like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” ..........  The documentary explores the racism that Lee, who died at age 32 in 1973, endured in trying to land lead roles in the entertainment industry. NBC News' Nadra Nittle wrote that it "leaves no doubt that Lee’s talent and charisma should have earned him lead roles in Hollywood – or how the industry’s history of marginalizing people of color relegated him to playing sidekicks." ...........  The documentary "succeeds in going deeper where previous Lee profiles have trod only lightly: The context of his struggle against racism in America, and his emergence as a superstar in Hong Kong," wrote Michael Ordoña for the Los Angeles Times. "For Lee fans, that makes 'Be Water' a must-watch. For the curious, it’s a fair introduction to the man who became a legend."   

Study: Shutdowns prevented 60 milllion coronavirus cases in US shutdowns and other interventions prevented 60 million coronavirus infections in the United States and that the policies had “large health benefits.” ..........  shelter-in-place orders, business closings, travel restrictions and other responses prevented 530 million infections across the U.S., China, South Korea, Italy, Iran and France. ........   Because of limited testing, the study states that 62 million of those infections would have been confirmed cases in the six countries, but the real number would have been 530 million. For the U.S., those numbers are 4.8 million confirmed cases prevented, but 60 million actual cases prevented. ...........  there would be 465 times more confirmed cases in China without any interventions, and 14 times more confirmed cases in the United States. ......... “I don’t think any human endeavor has ever saved so many lives in such a short period of time”  

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— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 8, 2020