The Party’s Over: No. 10’s COVID BYOB Affair

Above: Dame Shirley Bassey delivers the news.

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, British/American stand-up comedian, cricketer, and former London Lord Mayor, the Monty Python character currently serving as UK Prime Minister, is well in it for a spingtime garden party at his current abode, No. 10 Downing Street. It was a “bring your own bottle” party for staff. Very plesant-sounding. So why is everyone giving him stick?

The boozy party was on May 20, 2020, during a COVID lockdown strickly limiting outdoor gatherings and imposing fines up to £10,000 ($13,715) on violators. On that same day, there were 328 COVID-related deaths in the UK.

Mr. Johnson apologized before Parliament, but “Partygate” might be the scandal that finally gets BoJo made redundant and booted from office.

More:

“‘The party’s over, Boris’: what the papers say about Johnson’s No 10 crisis,” Graham Russell, The Guardian

“What next for Boris Johnson after his party apology?” Laura Kuenssberg, BBC News

Updates:

“Boris Johnson’s staff accused of more rule-breaking parties inside No 10,” BBC News

“On eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, Downing Street held lockdown parties,” Karla Adam, Washington Post

“Met police accused over failure to investigate No 10 lockdown parties,” Vikram Dodd, The Guardian

“Nobody warned me drinks event was against rules – Boris Johnson,” BBC News

“‘In the Name of God, Go’: Boris Johnson Told to Resign Over Boozy Lockdown Parties,” Jamie Ross, Daily Beast

Updated Updates:

“Boris Johnson ‘birthday bash’ added to list of alleged lockdown parties,” William Booth, Washington Post

“London police to investigate Downing Street parties during lockdown, raising stakes for Boris Johnson,” William Booth, Washington Post

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K-12 in 2020: Virtual Active-Shooter Drills

In the pandemic year of 2020, children’s homes became their classrooms as America’s K-12 education went online. The curriculum included school active-shooter drills, required by law in most states. Lesson objective: in America’s gun culture, even your kitchen table isn’t safe. Will this be on the test?

More:

“Active-Shooter Drills Look Pretty Weird Over Zoom,” Monica Chin, The Verge

“School Shooting Drills Have Gone Virtual,” Dan Kois, Slate

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Guitar Sales Are Growing

For the past decade, guitars have been a glut on the market, seen as boomer relics of rock music’s bygone ages. COVID home confinement has changed that:

“A half-year into a pandemic that has threatened to sink entire industries, people are turning to the guitar as a quarantine companion and psychological salve, spurring a surge in sales for some of the most storied companies (Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor) that has shocked even industry veterans.

‘I would never have predicted that we would be looking at having a record year,’ said Andy Mooney, the chief executive of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, the Los Angeles-based guitar giant that has equipped Rock & Roll Hall of Famers since Buddy Holly strapped on a 1954 sunburst Fender Stratocaster back in the tail-fin 1950s.”

—  “Guitars Are Back, Baby!” Alex Williams, New York Times

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Image (“The Electric Guitar Lesson, after Renoir”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Mass Layoffs in the US, But Not the UK

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis. But it didn’t have to be that way. Liz Scheltens of Vox explains.

More:

“Pandemic shows contrasts between US, European safety nets,” David McHugh., Associated Press

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