#I’ve been waiting for the jump since the premiere in Tokyo and it finally came 🥲

[timetohealit]

FITF got 925K streams on Spotify yesterday :o

[your-dietician]

How the Copa America soccer tournament in Brazil is spreading COVID-19

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/soccer/how-the-copa-america-soccer-tournament-in-brazil-is-spreading-covid-19/

How the Copa America soccer tournament in Brazil is spreading COVID-19

Just after nightfall about 60 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, Marlus Jesus was whisked into a hospital after hours to verify that he didn’t have coronavirus, then ushered into a hotel room.

His secret mission? The Brazilian soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior and several teammates wanted haircuts.

“I started cutting hair at about 8 p.m. and finished after midnight,” said the 32-year-old barber. “I cut the hair of seven or eight players.”

He couldn’t resist posting a selfie with Neymar on Instagram.

The haircuts, which quickly became national news, burst a strict “sanitary bubble” meant to keep COVID-19 out of the Copa America, the premier soccer tournament on the continent.

The event has been shrouded in controversy since organizers hurriedly moved it to virus-stricken Brazil in early June, less than two weeks before kickoff. The original co-hosts, Argentina and Colombia, had suddenly bowed out, citing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases.

Brazil, where COVID-19 has claimed at least 525,000 lives, a toll second only to the United States, was a curious second choice. Infections were surging to unprecedented levels as the country entered a devastating third wave. But, to the shock of many, President Jair Bolsonaro enthusiastically agreed that Brazil be the host.

“From the beginning I have been saying, when it comes to the pandemic: I am sorry for the deaths, but we have to live,” said the far-right populist, who is being investigated by a congressional committee for his handling of the pandemic, including possible corruption related to the purchase of vaccines.

Government health authorities and Copa America’s organizers say those taking part of the tournament are following strict protocols to avoid infections, as 10 teams compete in four Brazilian cities. Crowds are barred from stadiums and players must stay in their rooms when not training or playing matches. Nearly 26,000 coronavirus tests had been administered as of this week.

But outside health experts say the event is complicating Brazil’s fight against the virus.

At least 165 new cases have been linked directly to the tournament. A total of 37 were players, coaches, trainers and other team personnel, while 125 were drivers, caterers, cleaners and others providing services for the tournament. Three work for Conmebol, the South American soccer federation, which provides medics and referees to the tournament.

“We’ve seen that the majority of cases were not among players — they were the people providing them with services,” said Dr. Lucia Campos Pellanda, an epidemiologist and dean of Porto Alegre’s Federal University of Health Sciences. “It’s really cruel — to expose people who are already vulnerable.”

Without systematic contact tracing, authorities are unable to determine how those infections may have spread coronavirus into the wider population.

Enforcing protocols — and controlling the players off the field — has proved challenging. Members of Chile’s team were accused of partying and inviting prostitutes to their hotel. Venezuelan team members infected with the coronavirus allegedly broke quarantine, sneaking out of their rooms. Hotel workers who came in contact with the rogue players complained that their pleas for testing were ignored for days.

With the Tokyo Olympics just over two weeks away, Brazil may serve as a grim bellwether on whether behemoth multinational sporting events can be held safely as the pandemic still rages on. Already, the Summer Games have sparked protests, as coronavirus cases surge across Asia.

“Even if the risk is minimal, even if an event like this results in a single death — is it worth it?” Pellanda asked.

Outraged Brazilians have dubbed the tournament “Cova America,” rebranding it using the Portuguese word for “grave.” Memes of a coffin kicking a coronavirus have swept through social media.

Brazil has advanced to the final, scheduled for Saturday. But many fans say that even if it wins and retains the title it captured in 2019, there will be little to celebrate.

“There just isn’t that same joy that the game usually brings,” said Júlia Passos, a 21-year-old food service worker. “This time, it brings a lot of sadness. Because it can’t erase what happened, how many people have died.”

Her family, like so many others, saw the devastation of COVID-19 up close. Her stepfather spent a week in hospital, struggling to breathe.

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“With all the pain Brazil is going through, that we’re going through,” Passos said. “It is not the time to host a huge sporting event like this.”

Still, she couldn’t turn down a gig in one Rio stadium hosting some of the matches. Out of work since March, the young mother needed the income. On game days, she earns $20 serving food and drinks to the coaches, organizers and security staff.

Passos managed to get one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and she and her colleagues are tested for coronavirus every other day. Nonetheless, she said, the job feels risky, starting with her 25-mile commute from the outskirts of the city.

“We end up so exposed. We take trains packed full of people to get to work,” she said. “But I really needed the work.”

Her stepbrother, Júnior Campos, needed money too and also jumped at the chance to nab a job at the stadium. Yet, even as a soccer fan, the tournament left a bitter taste.

“I lost my uncle and, just last week, I lost my best friend too,” said Campos, 21, who was applying to colleges when the pandemic struck. “We’ve lost so many people to the virus. And so many are still dying. It’s absurd to have this event, to pretend like life is back to normal here, like in Europe.”

The Euro Cup, which is being held in 11 countries across the continent, kicked off in June amid easing lockdowns and ramped-up vaccination campaigns in many of the host nations. But even with reduced stadium capacity and rigid travel restrictions, the tournament has failed to fully avoid infection. The World Health Organization sounded an alarm recently, pointing to overcrowding and clusters of cases.

Health experts warn the risks are even greater in Brazil, where just over 13% of the population is fully vaccinated. One particular worry is that highly contagious new variants could gain traction. The Delta strain — first discovered in India — was spotted in one city hosting Copa America matches, though authorities are still unsure if it infected tournament participants.

In the last two weeks, daily coronavirus cases have eased from June’s record peaks. But health experts still fear spikes. And with the lag between infections and illness and hospitalization, they warn that the tournament’s full effects may not become clear for weeks.

Unlike much of the world, Brazil never closed down to contain the virus. All along, Bolsonaro downplayed COVID-19 and urged Brazilians to keep working. Lockdowns, he insisted, kill more people than the virus by hurting the economy.

Brazil ultimately lost out on both fronts. As the virus ripped through the country undeterred, the pandemic decimated the economy. A welfare scheme helped keep informal workers afloat last year, but the aid was slashed significantly as public spending ballooned.

Angry Brazilians have taken to the streets, calling for vaccines, economic aid and impeachment of the president. Nearly 15 million are out of jobs and hunger has almost doubled, with 19 million routinely going without food during the pandemic.

Faced with economic need, millions risk their health in search of work, including in the Copa America.

On a recent morning, Viviane Azevedo served breakfast to the Copa America delegations at a ritzy hotel in Rio’s wealthy south zone. Still waiting for her second dose of vaccine, she was happy for extra shifts at the hotel that came with the influx of guests.

“It’s a disgrace really, hosting this tournament now,” said Azevedo, 43, who went back to waitressing after being laid off from a piercing studio early in the pandemic. “But for us, there’s no other way. In today’s Brazil, if you don’t take the risk, you’ll go hungry.”

Murilo Castro Vianna, 61, waited outside the same hotel in a white shuttle bus, ready to drive Uruguay’s team to training. Earlier in his 12-hour shift, he had dropped off an injured player at the airport. A few days earlier, a fellow driver had been sickened by COVID-19.

“I’ve spent every day of this pandemic on the street, working,” he said. Before this, he had driven around linesmen working for an electricity company. “Here, I’m being tested. I wear my mask, I try to be careful. That’s all you can do.”

Back at the barber shop he owns in Belford Roxo, a working-class neighborhood on the northern fringe of Rio, Jesus was clad in a face mask as he swiftly razed a little boy’s hair into a mullet, like the ones worn by soccer stars.

One chair over, an unmasked employee trimmed a client’s beard, then doused it in a fragrant spray. Stand-up comedy blared from the television.

Jesus’ secret mission last month wasn’t the first time he cut the hair of Brazil’s soccer elite. But the Copa America job was a chance he couldn’t pass up.

The tiny, bright shop had remained shut for much of the pandemic. Jesus kept cutting hair in the homes of clients, to stay afloat.

“Are we afraid of the virus?” Jesus said. “Of course we’re afraid. But we have to work.”

Ionova is a special correspondent.

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Japan Interview of Dacre and Naomi

Alright, so thanks to googling translate here is the translation of an interview of Dacre and Naomi while doing press in Japan.  I’ll provide the link below, and if anyone decides to check out the website let me know if there is an English translation button.  Also, there will be grammatical errors, but I’m too tired to fix it.

____________________

Hollywood is making a movie seriously, the movie "Power Ranger" finally comes to the public on July 15, 2017 on July 15, 2017 when the Japanese knows the "Super Sentai" American version TV series that everyone knows. ORIVERcinema made a special interview with Dacre Montgomery, who acted as Red Ranger / Jason Scott, who came to Japan with Tokyo Premier / Red Carpet held in Tokyo, and Naomi Scott, who serves as Pink Ranger / Kimberly Heart.

Not only the charm of this work but also a story behind the shooting scene, friendship talks of members, and a valuable interview full of trivia stuff that fans are happy to know.

Movie "Power Ranger" Cast Star Interview

── In the movie "Power Ranger", it shows how five teenagers grow up, but how about casting everyone actually taking pictures?

Dacre Montgomery (Red Ranger / Jason): Since this role was decided just before graduating from college, it just became a "next chapter" in my life. In the pool, I was thrown into the deepest place and I felt like learning how to swim there. This work is a Hollywood debut for me, it is also a movie debut. I think I was very fortunate.

Naomi Scott (Pink Ranger / Kimberly Heart): The set is also quite large, it was a different way from the work I've appeared so far, and it was also my first time to challenge the action. I do not know where the camera is and how it moves. For me, it was a series of learning.

─ In the movie, five young people met, fostering friendship while opposing at the beginning, at the end of the movie has become a team at the end. Does everyone remember the time when they first met?

Dacre: I remember it well. At first, we gathered together with only five people, and I did a real reading over three hours. In the meanwhile, laughing, crying, deep bonds deepened. It was awesome feeling that five people with different race and background got together in three hours. The movie "Power Ranger" is itself.

──What is everyone going to play or drinking?

Naomi: I often went out for fun. In the set, staying together for a day, when you finish "What do you want to eat dinner?" Feeling. On the scene, when someone was short of energy, someone else shared energy and supported each other. I think that all five people were growing together on the scene. Everyone shared the same situation, so no one ever had an ego.

Both me and Becky · G (Yellow Ranger / Trini) were girls' teams, so we cooperated very much with each other. It was the first movie for Becky, but she was open to learning and it was cool to see the attitude to absorb whatever.

The movie also shows how a friendship of five people is being brought up. In the play they finally become like a family, but we were the same.

── Currently, superhero movies are also overflowing. Among them, what is the charm that exists only in "Power Rangers"?

Dacre: The rich diversity that is not seen in other superhero movies is the first. Then, the place where members who were initially repulsive will nurture friendship. "Power Rangers" is a hero who used "friendship" as a metaphor. I have also watched a lot of superhero movies, I have never seen such a story.

Naomi: Yeah, the theme of "becoming a superhero with a friend" is good. I think that you can sympathize with someone of the characters. Each of them is facing the real problem we have.

Dacre: For me, this time for Japan for the first time in ten years. I have traveled all around the world on this tour, but wherever I am, it is the same as a human. Languages are different, the eyes and behaviors we see are unchanged. I think this is the symbol of this work. In other words, everyone in the world can sympathize with five people. It is a very universal work.

─ "Power Rangers" is based on the Japanese "Super Sentai" series, Japanese fans have been waiting for this work forever. There are many core fans who are looking forward to the details of the battle scene and suit in Japan, but do you have core information for such fans?

Dacre: Titan Battle (battle with huge character) by big creature like building like "Pacific Rim" is a Japanese looking thing. While following the original series, it is being updated in contemporary style. Compared to 23 years ago (the original version was broadcasted), the special effect has evolved dramatically. The special effects team did a terrible (**I think he meant terrific, but then again I could be wrong) job, I was surprised to see the completed version.

Naomi: I think this is certainly not much known information. Suits for shooting can actually be worn, but only the chest pad part is CG. This part seems to express the universe. Wearing it means that the universe is inherent in a person.

──What are your favorite scenes and hard scenes?

Naomi: This is a scene that jumps over a cliff and jumps over. The wire is attached to the back, but the wire itself does not enter my sight at all. So when you are running on a cliff, you feel like going against the instinct of a person who really jumps out of a cliff without adding anything. And while I am jumping, I will perform the movement to move my hands, but this is surprisingly difficult. Especially Dacre was struggling, and at the beginning, I did not have a bicycle scene of "E.T." (laugh).

Dacre: "E.T." Ne (haha). My favorite scenes are scenes where the characters reveal their past and open their minds. I have a lot of friends, but I have not experienced that.

In the scene which was the most challenging, there is a scene where I will be up in the scene of the stadium, but I also took 50 takes. It was very hard to shoot at 3 o'clock in the morning, but it was cut in this volume. Although there was chocolate that looks delicious on the catering site, I could not make it through too much taking (laugh).

─ Was there a lot of takes at the scene where the cow at the beginning appeared?

Dacre: There were plenty ... many. A cow gave them various things ... (laugh). Take, or what is it (laugh).

Naomi: I was having troubles with underwater scenes. It is also in the water all day, wearing leather jackets and heavy boots. Even though it is very hard, Dacre is familiar like a fish. How deep was it?

Dacre: It was about 40 feet deep. In terms of meters, about 12 meters?

Naomi: I was pretty scared. It was super tough, and it took quite a while. I have to forget my ears when I dive in the water, I forgot it once. It hurts very much ... It was painful then.

Dacre: It was about 40 feet deep. In terms of meters, about 12 meters?

Naomi: I was pretty scared. It was super tough, and it took quite a while. I have to forget my ears when I dive in the water, I forgot it once. It hurts very much ... It was painful then.

The most troublesome thing since then is there is a scene that carries a certain character, but in reality, it is shooting with a dummy. That dummy is so heavy. It should be getting underwater with four people, it's too heavy to sink slowly. It was a give up with the first take (laugh).

In the photography time before the interview, Dacre himself takes out the smartphone "Let's put music on!" And puts out favorite music and it is in a scenic atmosphere. Dacre and Naomi were really good friends, they looked deepened their bonds through "Power Rangers".

Movie "Power Ranger" is a national road show on July 15, 2017.

Click HERE to go to the original site.