Tumgik
#covid 19 lockdown latest news
harpianews · 2 years
Text
Shanghai COVID cases keep rising, food supply problems persist
Shanghai COVID cases keep rising, food supply problems persist
Shanghai reported nearly 25,000 locally transmitted COVID-19 infections on Sunday, as residents of China’s most populous city voiced complaints over food and basic supplies and concern spread that more cities may soon be in the same situation. Streets of the locked-down financial hub of 26 million people remained as curbs under the city’s “zero tolerance” policy allow only healthcare workers,…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
6 notes · View notes
srilanka1234 · 1 year
Text
0 notes
technodabhi · 2 years
Text
Shanghai allows 4 million out of homes as virus rules ease
Shanghai allows 4 million out of homes as virus rules ease
A health official says 4 million more people in Shanghai have been allowed to leave their homes as anti-coronavirus quarantine rules ease. The official, Wang Ganyu, said Wednesday a total of almost 12 million people are allowed to leave their homes as China’s most populous city tries to contain virus outbreaks. Authorities imposed rules that confined most of Shanghai’s 25 million people to their…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
growingstories · 1 month
Text
Male model
Male model Darren had always dreamed of walking the runways of big fashion shows in Italy and Paris, showcasing the latest designs from top designers. And his dream came true. Darren was known for his chiseled features, sharp jawline, and perfectly toned physique. He was the epitome of what the fashion industry considered the ideal male body. However, everything changed when the world was hit by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.
Tumblr media
As the first four weeks of lockdown began, Darren found himself confined to his home. With no photoshoots or fashion shows to attend, he started to spend most of his time indulging in comfort foods. The lack of physical activity and the stress of the situation caused him to gain weight rapidly.
Tumblr media
Weeks went by, and Darren found himself down on his luck. His once slender body was now a bit plumper, and his modeling career was suffering. But fate had something different in store for him. A fast-food chain, Big Burger, impressed by his unique transformation, decided to approach Darren. They wanted him to be the face of their brand, capitalizing on his relatability to the general public. The offer was tempting, promising a hefty paycheck and a chance to regain his popularity.
Tumblr media
Darren, despite his reservations, decided to take the offer. He thought that once the campaign was over, he could go back to his old life and lose the extra weight. Little did he know that this decision would gradually change the course of his life. In an attempt to shed off some excess weight, Darren embarked on a weight loss journey. With the help of a personal trainer and nutritionist, he managed to lose 5kg. However, just as he was beginning to see progress, his manager had other plans for him.
Another campaign for Big Burger, this time promoting their new burger known as "The Big Burger," was on the horizon. The company insisted that Darren put on more weight to portray their idea of the perfect consumer. Reluctantly, he agreed, knowing that it would mean sacrificing his own happiness for financial gain.
Tumblr media
Also other food companies started sending him an array of mouth-watering treats and samples to promote on his social media channels. Darren found himself overwhelmed by the constant influx of food while struggling to maintain his weight and image. Nevertheless, his manager saw this as an opportunity and suggested that Darren start a podcast reviewing food products around the world.
As his career skyrocketed, Darren's weight ballooned. His previous model clients refused to book him for their campaigns, citing his size as the main reason. Deeply frustrated, Darren began to long for the glamour and success he once had. He confided in his manager, expressing his desire to lose weight and get back in shape.
Tumblr media
Sympathetic to Darren's concerns, his manager arranged a deal with a reputable gym to help him shed the excess weight. However, just as he was getting ready to embark on his journey, Big Burger offered him an enticing three-year contract. They promised him stability, incredible earnings, and fame, but the condition was that he couldn't lose weight. Struck by the allure of financial security, Darren reluctantly accepted the offer, believing that he would be able to lose weight once the contract was over. Month by month, he had photoshoots for new products, made social media posts, and received an abundance of food and meals sent directly to his doorstep.
His fame grew, not as a fashion model but as the food reviewer he unintentionally became. The money kept rolling in, but Darren grew increasingly unhappy with his appearance. He was kut of breath fast and tying his shoes became a workout at itself. He decided to secretly visit the gym and after only a few weeks he lost 10kg.
During his next photoshoot, the photographer was surprised by Darren's leaner appearence. The pictures turned out to be fantastic, but just as he was basking in his success, he received a call from the big boss of Big Burger. The boss warned Darren that if he continued losing weight, his contract would be terminated. In an attempt to fail his weightloss regime, a big box of sweet snacks arrived at his doorstep, accompanied by a note expressing apologies for their strictness.
While guilt washed over him during his indulgence in the snacks, Darren found solace in the gym. He focused solely on building muscle without engaging in any cardio exercises. The boss's presents continued for weeks, and as a result, his muscles popped, and his belly grew once again.
Tumblr media
Instead of feeling dejected, Darren grew happier with his newfound bulkiness. He decided to embrace his weight and the attention he received at the gym from other big men who admired his strength. Every few days, he received surprises from Big Burger and other food chains, all expressing their happiness and love for him.
Months turned into years, and Darren became unrecognizable. With his size constantly increasing, his bank account overflowed with money, but he was no longer content with his appearance. He missed the glamour of his past life and the feeling of confidence that being fit and healthy had brought him.
Tumblr media
Darren felt a mix of guilt and determination as he stared at the feast before him. He decided to channel his guilt into motivation, guilt for enjoying the snacks to the fullest but not giving up on his fitness journey. He immediately went to the gym and worked out without any cardio, craving the unity of his mind and body. This cycle continued for two weeks. His muscles bulked up, and his belly expanded as he consumed all the snacks provided by Big Burger. He received unwavering support from his followers and fans on social media, celebrating his transformation in every post.
Embracing his new body, Darren made a life-altering decision. He chose to let go of social standards and expectations and embraced his weight. With every passing day, he became more confident and happy in his frame.
Surprises from Big Burger, along with other food companies, kept flooding in. They admired Darren's loyalty and dedication to their brand, constantly sending him food and treats. His fame solidified not only as a male model turned food reviewer but also as a symbol of unabashed self-acceptance.
Tumblr media
With every passing day, Darren's fame and bank account grew, but it was his inner happiness that truly bloomed. He had discovered that being comfortable in his own skin was worth more than any fashion show or modeling contract.
217 notes · View notes
naturalrights-retard · 4 months
Text
By Frank Bergman November 26, 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on Communist China to bring back lockdowns and other Covid-era restrictions to tackle a new outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness.
The WHO is pressuring the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to reinstate mask-wearing and social distancing, and issue stay-at-home orders for the public.
The timing of the outbreak is eerily reminiscent of Covid, which first emerged in China this time in 2019, just under one year out from the 2020 election.
With this latest outbreak emerging just under one year out from the 2024 election, many are raising concerns that pandemic restrictions could also disrupt the next presidential race.
Hospitals in Beijing and the province of Liaoning, 500 miles northeast of the capital, have been detecting cases of “undiagnosed pneumonia.”
Local news also reports hospitals are “overwhelmed with sick children.”
The infected are showing signs of lung inflammation and a high fever, but no cough or other symptoms that signal the flu or RSV.
20 notes · View notes
shakespearenews · 9 days
Text
Sam Crane was in the middle of doing Macbeth when the bullets started flying. A veteran of the British stage, Crane was on the verge of playing the lead in the London production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child when COVID-19 shut down live performances, and by the U.K.’s third lockdown, he was itching for an audience. So instead of playing to a West End crowd, he found himself orating to a smattering of heavily armed lawbreakers inside the video game Grand Theft Auto. “If I could just request that you refrain from killing each other,” he calls out amid the tomorrows and tomorrows. “And don’t kill the actors either!”
7 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media
Bob Dylan - The Power & The Glory (A 2022 Touring Year Story)
Bob Dylan kicks off another leg of the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour this week in Osaka, Japan. Will he playing a totally revamped set? I'm guessing no, but who the hell knows? Meanwhile, I'm going to start spreading the rumor that Bob will almost certainly be releasing an album of new material in 2023. I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to back this up, but I'm just going to try to manifest it. Manifest with me, people!
To get psyched for more live Dylan, check out this very very nice compilation of audience recordings from last year's shows, gathering some highlights and rarities — like Bob's Jerry Lee Lewis tribute in Dublin or the very rowdy "Friend of the Devil" in San Francisco. And is that a little Twin Peaks theme I'm hearing inserted into "Key West" from March 6??? Prove me wrong!
Another way to get psyched: check out James Adams' new episode of the Pretty Good Stuff series on Aquarium Drunkard. This latest hour features some of Bob's finest performances in Japan from over the decades. I was particularly blown away by the 1994 rendition of "What Good Am I?" — a truly outrageous and amazing vocal on that one.
One more thing! Last year, I wrote a review of the Dylan show I caught in San Diego, which for one reason or another, was never published. Here it is, plus a recording of the show, as an incredibly special treat for you Doom & Gloomsters.
Bob Dylan - San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, California, June 17, 2022
You couldn’t count on much over the past 30+ years, but you could usually assume that Bob Dylan was somewhere out there, still on the road, perpetually headed for another joint. But the bewildering pandemic year of 2020 brought it all to a shuddering halt, causing the longest break in Dylan’s relentless live performance schedule since the mid-1980s. Bobcats across the globe had to ask themselves that tough question: Was the Never Ending Tour finally … ending?
Of course not. Or at least not yet. In late 2021, Dylan kicked off the Rough and Rowdy Ways World Wide Tour, which promises to stretch into 2024 — an ambitious span of time in an increasingly unpredictable decade. What keeps him going? One can only assume that, at this point, Bob doesn’t need the cash (if he ever really did). In his own eccentric way, he must still be interested in connecting with audiences, sharing his songs, reveling in the power that this music delivers. And maybe, just like the rest of us, the various COVID-19 lockdowns made Dylan a little stir-crazy.
Whatever his reasoning may be, there was a tingling sense of anticipation in the air when the lights went down at the San Diego Civic Theatre this past June. The songwriter’s advanced age (he turned 81 in May) and the still precarious nature of live shows these days makes Dylan’s continuing presence feel all the more precious. And to be sure, when you got your first glimpse of the man — looking a little frail, a tad ghostly — your first thoughts were of his (and perhaps your own) all-too-human mortality. As he sang later: “I’ve already outlived my life by far.” But Dylan refused to let us wallow. Instead, he kicked off the show with a long, occasionally shambolic, guitar solo over a sweet, bluesy shuffle. As it rambled on — and on! — you couldn’t help but grin. Never mind mortality — this Nobel Prize winner still just loves to jam.
“What’s the matter with me? I don’t have much to say,” were the first words Dylan growled this evening — the opening lines of 1971’s “Watching The River Flow.” But they were sung with a wink. As proven by his 2020 masterpiece Rough And Rowdy Ways, Dylan still has plenty to say. The San Diego setlist (which rarely changed from night to night during this spring/summer jaunt) was dominated by numbers from the album — the only tune missing was “Murder Most Foul” (which Dylan likely thinks of as a separate piece altogether). It’s a daring move. Bob has never been of the McCartney school — you’re never guaranteed to hear the hits at a Dylan show. But he hasn’t played shows so heavily tilted towards new material since the “born again” days of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The gambit paid off. The Rough And Rowdy Ways numbers were captivating, from the hushed majesty of “I Contain Multitudes” to the deep blues crawl of “Crossing The Rubicon,” each moment filled with drama and gravitas. Dylan’s vocals sounded magnificent and clear; those Sinatra records from the last decade seem to have made him rethink his approach, with fantastic results. The sweet croon he slipped into on a ravishing “I’ve Made Up My Mind To Give Myself To You” was positively breathtaking, as he held dangerously long notes, the music breaking down beautifully behind him. On the other end of the spectrum, “My Own Version Of You” was a harrowing ride, Dylan relishing the song’s increasingly grotesque imagery. And even though the new stuff is relatively fresh from his pen, Dylan typically couldn’t help toying with an arrangement or two: “Key West (Philosopher Pirate)” was reinvented entirely with a curious chord structure and bewitching vocal that traded the studio version’s apocalyptic dread for a more open-ended playfulness.
The band here (stalwart bassist Tony Garnier, guitarists Bob Britt and Doug Lancio, multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron and drummer Charley Drayton) deserves special credit. There was rarely a lead voice breaking out in the mix — save for Dylan’s nervous, Monk-ish piano solos. Instead, there was a cohesive collective synergy, instruments interlocking, rising and falling in unison. The result was a kind of richly textured minimalist blues rock, free of cliché, zero fat on the bone. Occasionally, Dylan would pick out a hypnotic riff and his musicians would circle it patiently, adding subtle colorings around the edges. Occasionally, they’d drop out entirely, as with the almost a capella intro to “Gotta Serve Somebody,” which gave Dylan plenty of space to play around in before the song kicked into a full-tilt boogie.
Bob’s chatter was limited to a brief but hearty band introduction towards the end, but he wasn’t entirely uncommunicative. Several times in-between songs, he’d step out from behind his upright piano, put a hand on his hip, cock his head and fix the crowd with a quizzical stare. Was he soaking in the applause? Trying to get a sense of who his audience is in 2022? Just letting us all get a good look at him? Maybe all of the above — but most of all, it seemed as though Dylan was silently asking, once again, after all these years: “How does it feel?”
14 notes · View notes
mightyflamethrower · 7 months
Text
It Was Child Sacrifice
The ideology behind masking always depended on lies, but the biggest lie of all was that children could be safely masked without harming their intellectual and emotional development.
As with lockdowns, where “experts” kept up the mantra of “kids are resilient,” despite decades of propaganda about the urgency of getting kids into preschools to ensure they were properly developing their brains in a professional environment, the masking fanatics rewrote the rulebook on the fly.
Everybody involved knew they were repeating nonsense, or at least unscientific wishcasting, but they did it to back the Narrative. They chose to sacrifice children to the god of “expert” opinion.
Tumblr media
Unlike so many other evils of the pandemic tyranny era the harm to children cannot be easily memory-holed. As poorly designed and executed as our metrics are for student achievement, we have them, and the results in recent years have been devastatingly bad. So bad, in fact, that some states have actually (temporarily, so far) simply dropped testing for some students.
Younger children were even more disastrously harmed, and with even less justification. Entirely predictable (and loudly predicted) disabilities were caused by pandemic-era policies (some of which are being repeated, or being considered for repetition), and the very “experts” such as the American Academy of Pediatrics fully embraced policies that they had every reason to believe would greatly harm children.
In a recent interview with Sky News, London resident Viral Bhundia described what it was like to watch his young son Jay struggle with speaking. “If he wanted something he would scream, and it was up to us to kind of decode it and figure out what he wanted,” said Bhundia. “Does he want a cup? Does he want water?” Jay’s struggles are not an anomaly. They are part of a broader trend of children across the world lagging in basic language communication. The latest evidence comes from Speech and Language UK, which found one out of every five children in the United Kingdom are behind in basic speech. This is reportedly the “highest number of children with speech and language challenges ever recorded” in the UK, Sky News noted. It’s not difficult to glean why so many children are deficient in basic language skills. Around the world, governments responded to the COVID-19 pandemic with an arsenal of blunt tools— lockdowns, mandatory mask orders, endless social distancing, and travel restrictions—which had a devastating impact on learning development. (Of these, masking in particular is viewed by many as the primary cause of speech delays.)
How many lectures did we have to endure in the pre-COVID era about how children’s brain development at early ages was so rapid and important that every effort should be made to increase their stimulation and promote their intellectual development? How much money did Western societies pour into preschools to ensure kids were being properly educated?
3 notes · View notes
harpianews · 2 years
Text
UK PM Boris Johnson, FM Rishi Sunak to be fined over Covid lockdown breaches
UK PM Boris Johnson, FM Rishi Sunak to be fined over Covid lockdown breaches
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak are to receive fines for breaching strict coronavirus lockdown rules, a government statement said on Tuesday. ️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis ️ Police have been investigating 12 gatherings at Downing Street and the Cabinet Office after an internal inquiry found…
View On WordPress
0 notes
mariacallous · 1 year
Text
Police in China have dealt out beatings to workers protesting over working conditions and pay at the biggest factory for iPhones, as the country’s Covid-19 cases hit a new daily high.
Videos online showed thousands of people in masks facing rows of police in white protective suits with plastic riot shields. Police kicked and hit a protester with clubs after he grabbed a metal pole that had been used to strike him. People who made the footage said it was filmed at the site.
The protest in Zhengzhou lasted through Wednesday morning as thousands of workers gathered outside dormitories and confronted factory security workers, according to Li.
Other videos showed protesters spraying fire extinguishers toward police.
Foxconn, the biggest contract assembler of smartphones and other electronics, is struggling to fill orders for the iPhone 14 after thousands of employees walked away from the factory in the central city of Zhengzhou last month after complaints about unsafe working conditions.
Protests started on Tuesday after employees who had travelled long distances to take jobs at the factory complained that the company changed the terms of their pay, according to an employee, Li Sanshan.
Li said he quit a catering job when he saw an advertisement promising 25,000 yuan ($3,500) for two months of work. That would be significantly above the average pay for this type of work in the area.
After employees arrived, the company said they had to work two additional months at lower pay to receive the 25,000 yuan, according to Li.
“Foxconn released very tempting recruiting offers, and workers from all parts of the country came, only to find they were being made fools of,” he said.
Foxconn said on Thursday that a “technical error” was responsible for the confusion over pay and offered an apology.
A man who identified himself as the Communist party secretary in charge of community services was shown in a video posted on the Sina Weibo social media platform urging protesters to withdraw. He assured them their demands would be met.
The protests come amid severe frustration over Covid restrictions in areas across China that have closed shops and offices and confined millions of people to their homes.
China reported its highest number of new Covid cases on Thursday, with 31,444 new infections.
While the numbers of cases and deaths are relatively low compared to the other countries, China’s Communist party remains committed to its “zero-Covid” strategy that aims to isolate every case and eliminate the virus entirely.
On Wednesday, the government ordered an effective lockdown of several districts of Zhengzhou, with residents of the city centre not allowed to leave unless they have a negative Covid test and permission from authorities.
The restrictions, which will last five days from midnight Friday, affect more than six million people – about half the city’s population.
The government is trying to contain the latest wave of outbreaks without shutting down factories and the rest of its economy as it did in early 2020. Its tactics include “closed-loop management” under which workers live in their factories with no outside contact.
China’s status as an export powerhouse is based on factories such as Foxconn’s that assemble the world’s consumer electronics, toys and other goods.
Apple warned iPhone 14 deliveries would be delayed after access to an industrial zone around the Zhengzhou factory – which Foxconn says employs 200,000 people – was suspended after outbreaks.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest protests.
11 notes · View notes
technodabhi · 2 years
Text
Shanghai reports first deaths due to COVID-19
Shanghai reports first deaths due to COVID-19
China on Monday reported first fatalities in Shanghai due to the ongoing COVID-19 surge in the city where the Omicron variant continues to paralyse the country’s business hub of 26 million people. Three new deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Sunday in Shanghai, China’s National Health Commission reported on Monday. Three unvaccinated residents – all elderly, aged from 89 to 91 years, with…
Tumblr media
View On WordPress
0 notes
silverfoxlou · 2 years
Text
Louis Tomlinson Says He Found a More ‘Fulfilling’ Musical Purpose After One Direction Split
 "I realized I want to chase something else," Tomlinson said.
Former One Direction band member Louis Tomlinson shared he’s had an opportunity to find new musical purpose after the band’s break-up.
In an interview with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up, Tomlinson said reflecting during the pandemic led him to realize what style of music he truly wanted to make. “Lockdown was good for these kinds of thoughts,” said Tomlinson, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I realized I want to chase something else. I wanted to find something else that was more fulfilling for me at this time.” 
The English singer-songwriter also announced this week that he will be releasing his sophomore studio album Faith in the Future on Nov. 11. He describes infusing the LP with both an emphasis on live sound and multidimensional production, contrasting the guitar-driven elements of his first studio album Walls. 
“It’s really important to me in the live show, but also in how the tracks are produced as well,” said Tomlinson. “Me and the producers were a little braver on this record. It was marginally one-dimensional on the first record where I was just thinking about guitar sounds and guitar-driven songs.”
Tomlinson just wrapped up his sold-out world tour earlier this month. His first studio album Walls debuted Jan. 31 at number 9 on the Billboard 200, selling 39,000 album copies.
Tomlinson is just the latest One Direction member to announce new music. His former bandmate Harry Styles released “As it Was”  on April 1 as the lead single to his third studio album Harry’s House. The song is now on a 14-week nonconsecutive streak atop the Billboard Hot 100.
13 notes · View notes
naturalrights-retard · 4 months
Text
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Canadian government are refusing to explain why unexplained deaths have spiked 135% since the Covid vaccine rollout.
Statistics Canada, a Canadian government agency, released the staggering figures in a new report that reveals the nation set a new record for deaths in 2022.
Besides the huge number of Canadians dying from “unspecified causes,” the heavily-vaccinated nation recorded a record high number of Covid deaths, despite the vaccine uptake.
Canada is also euthanizing record numbers of citizens who are deemed “useless” by the state.
The full report can be read here.
Statistics Canada attributes the spike in Covid-related deaths to the easing of stringent mandates, mask-wearing, and lockdowns. The governmental body further asserts that the emergence of “highly transmissible COVID-19 variants” is a major factor contributing to the surge in fatalities.
In reality, nobody is falling for the official narrative any longer. The latest report discloses a concerning trend as Canadian life expectancy experiences a third consecutive year of decline.
Maxime Bernier, the leader of the conservative-populist People’s Party of Canada (PPC) delved into the implications of the report.
“These deaths have almost TRIPLED since 2020 from 6,841 to 16,043 in 2022,” Bernier warned.
“What happened in 2021 that could have caused this explosion of unexplained deaths over the last 2 years?”
“An experimental pharmaceutical product was rushed to market and forced on Canadian society, is what happened.
“They told us it was ‘safe and effective’ but over the last few years we have learned more and more about how that Covid shot was neither,” said Bernier.
Bernier then accused the Canadian government of betraying the people in favor of their globalist overlords.
19 notes · View notes
kingstylesdaily · 2 years
Text
Meet the Paris-based Designer Who Made Harry Styles‘ Sequined Look in ‘As It Was’
The high-waisted trousers and sleeveless top worn by the British artist in the music video are the works of 28-year-old Spanish designer Arturo Obegero.
By LILY TEMPLETON APRIL 4, 2022, 10:20AM
Tumblr media
LOOK OF THE TIMES: “I still have all those sequins all over my place,” said Paris-based designer Arturo Obegero as he watched Harry Styles stride forward in his creations, a red top and matching trousers, in the freshly released music video for “As It Was,” the lead single of the British artist’s new album.
Although he’d been expecting the reveal since he started working on these designs in late 2021, he still found being part of Styles’ latest work to be “mind-blowing, a great experience and, ultimately, a privilege” — especially as a young designer.
“The fact that Harry Styles and [his stylist] Harry Lambert both believed in me, supported me, not just with exposure but by buying the clothes, is insane. They could have gone to so many big brands but they believed in a young designer struggling with a 70-year-old sewing machine in a five-square-meters corner of my place,” said the designer, who considers the British artist “the Mick Jagger of our generation.”
Obegero, 28, who describes himself as “a young Spanish designer who launched a Parisian label a week before [France’s March 2020] COVID-19 lockdown,” hails from Tapia de Casariego, a town in the country’s northern region of Asturias.
As a teenager, he watched fashion shows on YouTube — Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy — as a form of escapism from his countryside town. Dancing gave him the awareness that costumes are intrinsically connected to building a character to go on stage, but it took receiving a book on Yves Saint Laurent for his interest in fashion to solidify.
After studying pattern-making and confection at Escuela Superior de Diseño y Moda Goymar, a technical school in northwestern Spain, Obegero headed to London and Central Saint Martins. After graduating in 2018, he arrived in Paris for a first experience at Lanvin before making the jump to working solo as the pandemic hit Europe.
Working from home led him to use materials he had on hand, a practice that he felt natural and continued even when businesses reopened. This approach culminated in using old theater curtains for his fall 2021 debut on the Paris Fashion Week calendar.
The designer, who is sold at e-tailer Ssense and independent retailers like Paris-based Elevastor, noted that while 95 percent of his clients were male, he ultimately was designing “for someone who is not afraid of [turning] their vulnerability and sensitivity into one of their main strengths,” playing with the codes of formfitting and almost second-skin outfits of flamenco dancers and matadors.
“It’s all about the lines of the body. That’s one of the reasons [Styles and his team] called me — they were really about the body. There’s no big volumes, no ruffles, nothing extravagant,” he added.
He worked on the assumption that Styles would be performing in the clothes — live or in front of a camera — so he angled toward making something that was as comfortable for movement as it is eye-catching.
With that in mind, he reworked his signature silhouette of high-waisted trousers and a structured sleeveless top for Styles, adding “a little bit of pizzaz using sequins panels graphically cut to catch and reflect the light. It’s the disco, joyful part of the looks.”
Although the process took place through Zoom calls and exchanged images, he most enjoyed the sensation of a balance between his design vision and the artistic one of Styles — and the very principle of a creative dialogue leading to a bespoke design.
Tumblr media
Obegero is gearing up for a busy year: He’s applied for the ANDAM fashion award and is mulling a bridal offering. And though he started it on a high note, he’s not letting the experience go to his head.
“Harry Styles was definitely in my top five people that I wanted to dress. But it’s also a double-edged sword for young designers, where it can seem that you only count or are relevant if you dress celebrities. There is much more to learn about style, creation and the art of fashion [in these experiences] than just the connection to a famous person,” he said.
42 notes · View notes
ejacutastic · 2 years
Text
without paywall
The outdoors have always been a sanctuary—even more so since the advent of the pandemic.
Spreading COVID outside was possible, but not probable, experts advised in 2020, urging cooped-up citizens to turn to Mother Nature as an antidote to the isolation of lockdowns. Events, dining, and even entire classrooms were moved outside, when feasible.
But Omicron was a game changer, in more ways than one.
The original Wuhan strain of COVID-19 had a reproductive rate—also known as an R0 or R-naught value—of around 3.3, meaning that each infected person infected another 3.3 people, on average. That put COVID-19 among the least transmissible human diseases.
Slightly less transmissible were the 1918 pandemic strain of flu, which had an estimated R0 of 2, as does Ebola. On the higher end of the spectrum, mumps has an R0 of 12; measles tops the list at 18.
In order to outcompete, successful COVID variants have become more transmissible with time. Delta had a slightly higher reproductive rate of around 5.1. Then came Omicron, with an reproductive rate almost twice as large: 9.5.
So called “stealth Omicron,” nicknamed for its ability to evade detection on PCR tests, was about 1.4 times more transmissible than BA.1, so its reproductive rate was around 13.3, Adrian Esterman, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, recently wrote on academic news website The Conversation.
New studies suggest that BA.4 and BA.5, currently sweeping the U.S. and countries around the globe, have a growth advantage over BA.2 similar to the growth advantage BA.2 had over BA.1. Thus, the latest dominant COVID subvariants have a reproductive rate of around 18.6, tying or surpassing measles, the world’s most infectious viral disease, according to. Esterman.
Greater transmissibility means greater transmissibility in any setting, indoors or outdoors—even if outside is still safer, Maimuna Majumder, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, recently told NPR.
Upping the ante is the fact that recent subvariants like BA.4 and BA.5 are the most immune-evasive yet, with the ability to dodge antibodies from both vaccines and prior infection.
All this to say your protection outdoors isn’t what it was in 2020—and it may be time to begin thinking more critically about outdoor gatherings.
14 notes · View notes