Tag: pandemic

Impact of COVID-19 on Film Industry across the World

The impact of COVID-19 has been massive in the film industry around the whole world. All the film industries across the globe are facing the consequences of COVID-19 hugely. The film industry has faced billions and billions of financial losses. All the multiplexes and cinema halls have been locked down, and there has been no profit in the market sector. The film festivals had to be canceled. Many of the dates of the film festivals have been delayed. All the films which were supposed to release in this timeframe have extended the time of release. The complete lockdown of the entertainment industry, due to COVID-19 has majorly affected the box office profit. The places to face severe financial losses at the box office are North America, China, India, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Middle East, U.K., and many others.

Present Scenario at the Box Office

Most parts of the world that have been severely affected have entirely shut off the entertainment industry. They have closed down the shopping malls and movie complexes. Hence, it has changed the box office tremendously. China, America, Italy have been facing significant drawbacks in their box office estimations. Though the box office had already calculated substantial financial loss as soon as COVID-19 started spreading in China, it hardly estimated the significant loss it would suffer across the world.

Italy, China, the USA, Qatar, Thailand, Australia, U.K., Malaysia, and New Zealand have closed down all the movie theatres, and there have been no film releases since then. Afterward, France and Ireland decided on reducing the seating capacity at every movie theatre to half of its original percentage. Japan has closed down over 200 movie theatres after the spread of COVID-19.

Box Office has faced significant financial loss from the beginning of the year. As they have estimated, they have suffered around 30% loss in Taiwan, 35% loss in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, 60% loss in South Korea, and about 72% loss in Italy. In March, the box office faced higher financial losses. Though China had reopened their cinema halls and movie theatres at that time, the government had to close them down again, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Chinese film industry has suffered a significant loss due to the outbreak of COVID-19. They had strictly closed down all the movie theatres and cinema halls. The primary reason behind their massive decline in the Chinese film industry is the Lunar New Year. Every year, at the time of Lunar New Year, the Chinese box office made a huge success. But, this year, they suffered a significant loss, which was unprecedented for them. They have closed down film studios like Xiangshan Global Studios and Hengdian World Studios. Hence no production work is going on at the moment. The film releases have been postponed, and there has been no work progress since. 

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Japan has entirely locked down all the movie theatres and cinema halls. Many film festivals have been canceled like the Osaka Asian Film Festival. They have canceled the festival and have arranged to give refunds to the tickets which were bought by the people, in advance. Other small festivals like Kitakan Film Festival, the AnimeJapan Festival, and many others were canceled. The only film to have released during this pandemic is Fukushima 50, and it has not able to cross the 1 billion mark at the box office yet though Japan has been planning out various strategies to release films for the people and arrange a way for them to get some peace amidst this crazy pandemonium.

Things have gone pretty rough for the Hollywood film industry as well. After the impact of COVID-19, multiple blockbuster projects got delayed, and all the movie theatres have been closed. Many films that were about to get released like No Time To Die, Mulan and others have been postponed to November. Disney has entirely locked down all the production works of films such as The Little Mermaid, Jurassic World: Dominion, and others. This had hugely affected the pillars of the Hollywood Industry in that many are afraid that Hollywood might not go back to the stage where it stood before COVID-19 took place.

Many film releases have been postponed, and all the movie theatres around India have been locked down. Most of the technicians working in the film industry have no income source. COVID-19 has surely broken down the pillars of the Indian Film Industry. Several Bollywood film releases got postponed like Sooryavanshi, which was expected to make hundreds of crores. Rohit Shetty has to postpone the dates of his film release. Many production houses such as Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions closed down all the ongoing activities and also, any work which was going on in their films. Even the most delayed film of 2020, Brahmastra, got even more delayed due to the pandemic. Some film releases took place at the beginning months of the year. But, things have come to a halt since March. The major film releases as 83, Radhe, and others got postponed. Even Salman Khan had to postpone his film Radhe, which was supposed to release on Eid. Every Indian wait for Salman Khan’s Eid release, but this year, no movies got released. The Indian Film Industry has faced huge losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The major film industries around the world have faced similar consequences of the pandemic. The scenario has been identified across the globe. Every part of the world, may it be in the United States or Canada or France or South Korea or Germany or Australia or Mexico, all have faced the impacts of COVID-19 thoroughly. The productions of significant films have halted, and the technicians have lost work across the world. The box office is facing financial losses in billions. Massive projects have been postponed. Many celebrities have lost their lives, which have inevitably affected the film industry. Like Terrence McNally, Lucia Bose, Mark Blum, Patricia Bosworth, Allen Garfield, and Hilary Heath, many others have lost their lives fighting with coronavirus, which has hugely affected the film industry. The entertainment industry is one of the most popular sectors across the world. People everywhere wait eagerly for the film releases, and the film industry is the one single business sector that never goes without work. Though many films might face failures at the box office, the blockbuster successes always compensate for those. Apart from the film industry, even the television industries across the world have been going through the same loss of money and work. 

The Film Industries as One

Most of the award show and the film festivals got canceled due to the impact of COVID-19. To cope with the present scenario, twenty film industries worldwide have come together to project movies on YouTube for free. This is a worldwide film festival that has united the film industries together. The “We Are One: A Global Film Festival” has been arranged for ten days by film festivals worldwide. The online global film festival is streaming documentaries, comedy shows, music, and films. This is the best step that has been taken by the film industries across the world so that they keep entertaining the people around the globe. The complete lockdown of the entertainment industry has also left a reduced effect on the people. Hence, this is a way to help all of us from the traumatic news we’ve been hearing for months now.

All the film industries are trying to work together to bring smiles on the faces of people. Though they have faced significant losses for the last few months, they are still trying to arrange online festivals and shows for the viewers to stay engaged. 

Why investing in Real Estate is profitable, especially now?

Amidst the recent worldwide pandemic, which has resulted in massive financial loss, for not only start-ups but also leading business companies, here is one correct way to gain profit. That is by investing in real estate. Yes, you heard it right! Real estate is one of the safest investment options during the horrible pandemic situation. In this present scenario, the prices of real estate and loan interest rates have fallen rapidly. As the rates have decreased, don’t you think this would be the exact time to invest in properties? Moreover, it has become immensely convenient to get a loan at the present moment.

With the sudden change of scenario, due to COVID-19, the rate of interest on home loans has decreased considerably. Along with the cheaper interest rates, investing in real estate would inevitably bring security to the owner. Nowadays, it is best to own a house rather than rent a place. Also, the best part of investing in real estate is gaining a property of one’s own. With security, one increases stability, and hence, buying a property would inevitably bring balance in your life. Once you invest in real estate, with time, the value of property increases. If you plan on starting up your own business or even become a landlord, here is only profit for you. One-time investment, that too in less amount, can turn out to be very profitable.

Now, you might think, why is this the ideal time to invest in real estate? Though real estate has always been profitable. But, recently, mortgage rates have decreased, which has led to an increase in investors. Now, once you plan on investing, you will find an impressive percentage of good deals available in the market. With the pandemic’s presence, property choices have increased a great deal, so this is the exact time for you to choose the property you wish to invest in to gain profit.

There are many leading agencies that look after the client’s needs and brings an excellent deal to the investors once the loan is approved. The present market scenario offers many choices to the client, a unique opportunity if you plan on investing. Therefore, if you invest in real estate now, you would have to pay a much lesser amount compared to earlier times. Along with it, you would get high returns once you sell the property in the future. Besides, if you are planning on putting the property on rent, that would turn out to be as profitable as selling it. Once you rent the property, this becomes one of the simplest ways to earn a considerable amount of money every month.

To conclude, real estate is a long-term investment. Even if you are investing at a time of crisis, this is going to become profitable even in the post-pandemic situation. You would experience a steady flow of income throughout. Hence, less investment today can bring high returns tomorrow. So, you should take a step toward investing in real estate.

“Mutations In Corona Virus-Leading Towards Second Wave?”

Current era we are living in is a time of pandemic which is  spread all over the world, infecting millions of people and thousands of people losing life. The hike is growing day by day with no proper vaccines  and cure to it. There have been various studies and ways to test this disease. But various scientists are concerned about something which is surely not good news for people around the world. They believe that the spread of Corona-virus is increasing with its increase in mutation. Mutation is a phenomenon which means the change in the DNA sequence and this mutation can be due to mistake while Copying Of DNA to another cell or due to environment factors as a source of change and adapting the surrounding. 

There have been countries where this pandemic has been eradicated and some places where it is seeing a general downfall in its rate, while there are countries on the contrary and are seeking hikes day by day. Scientists believe that corona-virus may be mutating while it replicates from one individual to another. But the interesting fact is that these viruses or bacteria do mutate every time which means they do  and can change themselves while they get transferred from one person to others we know then need a host to be alive. Virus can be thus simply explained as anything that things that infect us and thus make us sick. Scientists believe that this Covid-19 virus is made up of RNA or Ribonucleic acid which is the building block of life and carry codes which do for a living organism. So this mutation happens when the sequence changes. When these viruses make mistakes in copying their code, they can’t reverse it which man’s that once it gets changed it will be the same forever, and this change goes on happening as it grows . Scientists have come up with discoveries reflecting the mutation process in this Covid- 19 virus . 

  1. It is believed that the mutation changes are very small and the person would be feeling the same symptoms as present in the older cases. 
  2. But mutation could be an area of concern while testing, as it may be possible that the technique we use for testing it may not be able to catch the mutation and thus gives us a negative result while it is still being present inside the body. 
  3. Also the possibility exists to find a vaccine solving the older virus while the new mutated virus still survives . So there needs to be advancement with time for testing technique, and at least twice a person should be tested so as to get a proper report. 
  4. This change in mutations and their known symptoms could also help the doctors to prepare the vaccine more accurately and effectively. 

But there are biologists that believe that mutations of covid-19 virus are small and their change remains mostly the same. So this could be a strong  reason which could give a reason to start the “Second wave” of virus, with much improved mutated virus. “So scientists and biologists need to remain updated with any change in the characteristics of these viruses, catch their mutations, track them and thus use them to find a proper vaccine and way out other than social distancing and thus save humanity from this deadliest virus and its spread”. 

Yemen is suffering the biggest humanitarian crisis and the world is silent

Yemen’s civil war is about to be eclipsed in a tragic manner. The fighting pits Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who took over the capital Sana’a and the north in 2015 against the Saudi- and UAE-backed, U.N.-recognized government of President Hadi. Another conflict pits the Hadi government against the Southern Transitional Council. Both are ongoing. Despite calls for ceasefires, the country remains sharply divided and now faces a potentially deadlier foe than the war—the COVID 19 pandemic.  

The U.N.’s head of humanitarian operations in Yemen, Lisa Grande, says that Yemen faces a worst-case scenario. The death toll from the pandemic could “exceed the combined toll of war, disease, and hunger over the last five years (in Yemen).” That could be over 230,000 deaths according to a U.N.-commissioned report from the University of Denver.

Right now Yemen is facing the biggest humanitarian crisis in last 100 years with over 24 million people in need of aid. They are currently fighting off an

CHOLERA OUTBREAK – cholera epidemic in Yemen is going on since 2016, and gets worse everyday due to lack of public health sectors and aid ,as well as saudi lef air strikes on water systems and food infrastructure.

FAMINE – The famine in yemen is said to become the worst one in 100 years and continues to get worse every day due to the poor funding and saudi intervention.

CORONAVIRUS (pandemic) -there aren’t many testing kits and hospitals aren’t equipped with treating it. Basic necessities like masks and gloves are also not available . Thus making the situation even worse. Its said that covid-19 can remove Yemen from the maps all over the world. As its impact is devastating on a country which has been wracked by civil war at same same time . Saudi Arabia with support of US,UK ,France has been bombing Yemen in order to get rid oh the “Houthi rebels, targeting public infrastructure,water systems , schools etc.

According to reports every 10 minutes a child dies in Yemen because the healthcare system has essentially been collapsed .

The U.N. termed Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis before the pandemic. Some 80 percent of the population—24.1 million people—required humanitarian assistance, with half on the brink of starvation.They are among the most vulnerable to the pandemic. In the meantime, the U.N.’s lack of funds means half-rations for 8.5 million hungry Yemenis. Around 2 million children under 5 years old are suffering from acute malnutrition.

Today, more than 20 million Yemenis need humanitarian assistance, a number greater than the entire population of the state of New York.

The numbers are staggering: 20 million Yemenis are food insecure, 19 million do not have access to clean water and sanitation, and the worst cholera outbreak in modern history has claimed more than 2,500 lives. According to the United Nations, 10 million people in Yemen are one step away from famine.1

HOW TO HELP ?

“Humans and Their Fight for Better Immunity”

A Healthy life and lifestyle is what every individual desires along with money and better close relationships. These are the key factors to live a happy and satisfied life and disbalance in any of the above leads humans to a stage of depression, stress and tension. Humans have been working since ages and have somewhat been able to maintain balance between all these, but surely all these three pillars of happy and pleasure life are surely connected to each other. As an old proverb comes to our mind that “health is wealth”, and surely is the element which every one wants to be better. If one is healthy enough, he would be able to work and earn better money and similarly have less stress and tension, thus would also maintain better relationships with close ones. 

Considering today’s scenario, the era of Pandemic Covid -19 , one needs to remain fit and healthy so as to fight back and eradicate the existence of this disease until it’s vaccine comes into action. But “which factor truly defines a healthy person and good Health”. Immunity, the factor which defines how a healthy any individual is based on his/ her own day to day activities including both diet as well as physical work efforts. Immunity is the element which is helping people to recover from this .So it surely explains the importance of strong immunity for any individual to be healthy. 

But human immunity has been observed to fall the scale from past few years in various parts of the world. This is surely due to an unbalanced lifestyle, more stress , tension and limited physical exercise. Man has made himself weak by also eating more of the junk food which definitely lacks the desired proteins and nutrients, and thus basic requirements due to which the body does suffer.

So we clearly understand the importance of immunity and how it has a key role to help us fight back, bacteria and other diseases. But the question which comes to mind is “How are we losing down on our immunity or why immunity levels are decreasing day by day in individuals”. So the reason for the same include:

  1. Lack of physical exercise – Exercise helps to reduce stress and releases various antibodies which are effective to fight these Diseases. 
  2. Junk foods
  3. Less water intake
  4. Consumption of excessive caffeine
  5. Smoking
  6. Excessive alcohol and drugs
  7. Consuming foods with Fat and sugar content
  8. Lack of inadequate sleep. 

These factors surely have an effect on our health and day to day activities and thus do affect our immune system and reduce it’s capabilities to fight back viruses, bacterias and other infections . 

Therefore one should definitely come up with the plans to fight back this issue letting to reduce the immunity of individuals by working on the elements they lack in daily activities. This could surely include:

  1. 1-2 hour of exercise and yoga
  2. Restricting To Eat oily and other junk food. 
  3. Consuming desired water content each day. 
  4. Reducing the content of caffeine in their drinks. 
  5. Stop smoking and it’s consumption
  6. Adequate sleep. 

“We all know that health is surely the best and the most precious element which a human has and if he has it, then he could surely achieve heights and thus become successful. So in order to remain healthy one must focus on improving their immunity by boosting it with desired exercises and food and these small steps toward securing our own health, we would definitely make ourselves and also our surrounding healthy thus leasing to our neighborhood be stress free, relaxed and much happier”. 

Management During Pandemic.

As the spread and far-reaching impacts of Covid-19 dominate the world news, we have all been witnessing and experiencing the parallel spread of worry, anxiety, and instability. Indeed, in a crisis, our mental state often seems only to exacerbate an already extremely challenging situation, becoming a major obstacle in itself. Why is this and how can we change it? As the CEO of a firm that brings mindfulness to companies to unlock new ways of thinking and working, let me share a bit about how the mind responds to crises, like the threat of a pandemic.

Even without a constant barrage of bad or worrisome news, your mind’s natural tendency is to get distracted. Our most recent study found that 58% of employees reported an inability to regulate their attention at work. As the mind wanders, research has shown that it easily gets trapped into patterns and negative thinking. During times of crisis — such as those we are living through now — this tendency is exacerbated, and the mind can become even more hooked by obsessive thinking, as well as feelings of fear and helplessness. It’s why we find ourselves reading story after horrible story of quarantined passengers on a cruise ship, even though we’ve never stepped foot on a cruise ship, nor do we plan to.

When your mind gets stuck in this state, a chain reaction begins. Fear begins to narrow your field of vision, and it becomes harder to see the bigger picture and the positive, creative possibilities in front of you.  As perspective shrinks, so too does our tendency to connect with others. Right now, the realities of how the coronavirus spreads can play into our worst fears about others and increase our feelings of isolation, which only adds fuel to our worries.

Watching the past month’s turmoil unfold, I have been reminded of the old Buddhist parable of the second arrow. The Buddha once asked a student: “If a person is struck by an arrow, is it painful? If the person is struck by a second arrow, is it even more painful?” He then went on to explain, “In life, we cannot always control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. And with this second arrow comes the possibility of choice.”

We are all experiencing the first arrow of the coronavirus these days. We are impacted by travel restrictions, plummeting stock prices, supply shortages etc. But the second arrow — anxiety about getting the virus ourselves, worry that our loved ones will get it, worries about financial implications and all the other dark scenarios flooding the news and social media — is to a large extent of our own making. In short, the first arrow causes unavoidable pain, and our resistance to it creates fertile ground for all the second arrows.

It’s important to remember that these second arrows — our emotional and psychological response to crises — are natural and very human. But the truth is they often bring us more suffering by narrowing and cluttering our mind and keeping us from seeing clearly the best course of action.

The way to overcome this natural tendency is to build our mental resilience through mindfulness. Mental resilience, especially in challenging times like the present, means managing our minds in a way that increases our ability to face the first arrow and to break the second before it strikes us. Resilience is the skill of noticing our own thoughts, unhooking from the non-constructive ones, and rebalancing quickly. This skill can be nurtured and trained. Here are three effective strategies:

First, calm the mind.

When you focus on calming and clearing your mind, you can pay attention to what is really going on around you and what is coming up within you.  You can observe and manage your thoughts and catch them when they start to run away towards doomsday scenarios. You can hold your focus on what you choose versus what pulls at you with each ping of a breaking news notification.

This calm and present state is crucial. Right away, it helps keep the mind from wandering and getting hooked, and it reduces the pits of stress and worry that we can easily get stuck in. Even more importantly, the continued practice of unhooking and focusing our minds builds a muscle of resilience that will serve us time and time again. When we practice bringing ourselves back to the present moment, we deepen our capacity to cope and weather all sorts of crises, whether global or personal.

Look out the window.

Despair and fear can lead to overreactions. Often, it feels better to be doing something … anything … rather than sitting with uncomfortable emotions. In the past few weeks, I have felt disappointment and frustration with important business initiatives that have been adversely impacted by Covid-19. But I have been trying to meet this frustration with reflection versus immediate reaction. I know my mind has needed space to unhook from the swirl of bad news and to settle into a more stable position from which good planning and leadership can emerge. So, I have been trying to work less and to spend more time looking out my window and reflecting. In doing so, I have been able to find clearer answers about how best to move forward, both personally and as a leader.

Connect with others through compassion.

Unfortunately, many of the circles of community that provide support in times of stress are now closed off to us as cities and governments work to contain the spread of the virus. Schools are shut down, events are cancelled, and businesses have enacted work-from-home policies and travel bans. The natural byproduct of this is a growing sense of isolation and separation from the people and groups who can best quell our fears and anxieties.

The present climate of fear can also create stigmas and judgments about who is to blame and who is to be avoided, along with a dark, survivalist “every person for him/herself” mindset and behaviors.  We can easily forget our shared vulnerability and interdependence.

But meaningful connection can occur even from the recommended six feet of social distance between you and your neighbor — and it begins with compassion. Compassion is the intention to be of benefit to others and it starts in the mind.  Practically speaking, compassion starts by asking yourself one question as you go about your day and connect — virtually and in person — with others: How can I help this person to have a better day?

With that simple question, amazing things begin to happen. The mind expands, the eyes open to who and what is really in front of us, and we see possibilities for ourselves and others that are rich with hope and ripe with opportunity.

Holy Week and Easter in the time of pandemic

Last April, Holy Week and Easter were marred by the fire in the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and by terrorist attacks upon churches in Sri Lanka. This month, Holy Week and Easter seem overshadowed by the COVIN-19 pandemic. Good stewardship of our own health, and love for our neighbors prompting concern for their health, keeps most Christians from gathering for services during these very special days. Neither violence nor disease can mar or overshadow the meaning of these days. Christ has redeemed us from sin and death. Christ has rescued us from all evil. Christ has risen from the dead; he lives and reigns to all eternity.

Sin resembles a communicable disease. It spreads throughout the world, and none of us are immune from its infection. Sin separates us from one another. Sin builds barriers that keep us from loving each other as we should love. Sin isolates us. Sin even separates us from the God who created us. The wages of sin is death, and this death comes in a variety of forms, each of which is a separation. Separation from God is spiritual death. The soul’s separation from the body is physical death. Combined, they result in eternal death. Every sinful separation is a kind of death. Sin can separate members of families. Sin can sever friendships. Because of sin, each of us is divided internally; none of us is in touch with the holy person God meant us to be.

Jesus, the Son of God, came into this wilderness of sin and death. Like a shepherd, Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost. In the wilderness he battled the devil, overcoming Satan’s temptations. In all his days, Jesus led a sinless life, obeying all his Father’s commands, fulfilling perfect righteousness. Jesus then faced the ugliness of sin and death in their fullness. He was betrayed, denied, accused, convicted, mocked, tortured, and killed. He deserved none of these things. Because evil is unfair, good people suffer in this world. Because evil is unfair, the one perfect Person suffered and died. Because evil is unfair, God himself became unfair, granting us the rewards earned by his Son’s righteousness and placing the burden of our guilt upon Him.

Good stewardship of our health and love for our neighbors will keep us in our homes this Good Friday and this Easter. We still live in a sin-polluted world, a world infected by evil and the separations evil causes. But our isolation is not permanent. Many Christians enjoy the benefit of Internet services, which allow us to join our voices in worship even though we are physically apart. All Christians have access to the Word of God, which proclaims his love and mercy and assures us of our place in his kingdom. All of us are guaranteed the love of God, which we will know in its fullness in the new creation, but which we enjoy already today. We know that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. J.

A wedding story

My daughter got married this week. She and her husband had originally intended to have their wedding May 2, but the virus crisis clearly was going to prevent that gathering. Instead of delaying the wedding until the crisis passes, they chose to be married one month early in an essentially empty church. Their guests watched the wedding on YouTube.

My new son-in-law is in his last year of seminary. In a few days, he will be told where he will begin serving as pastor. The May 2 wedding was to have taken place in the seminary chapel. When the two of them first realized that the wedding would have to be rescheduled, their families considered the possibility they would just get the license and be married at the courthouse. In other words, they nearly eloped. (A future pastor and his bride, the daughter of a pastor, eloping—that would be humorous.) They were able, however, to arrange for a church wedding at a place that was already equipped to livestream its services on YouTube.

The groom and the best man were attired in formal Scottish garb—yes, including kilts. The bride wore a traditional white wedding dress. (She nearly had to improvise: the woman doing alterations on the dress had basically closed down her business because of the virus and could not be reached by phone. I don’t know the details of how my daughter finally got hold of the dress.) The bride’s sister was maid of honor. Because she works at a hospital, she was not able to take a day off for the wedding, so it was held at 8 p.m. In his homily, the pastor who married them commented on the unusual timing of the wedding—during the season of Lent, in the darkness of night, and during a pandemic.

So there were bride and groom, best man and maid of honor, pastor, musician, and one other woman who helped the bride and took part in the singing. They began with a traditional evening liturgy, then sang a hymn. We rushed around the house gathering hymnals and got to join in singing the fourth and fifth verses of the hymn. The pastor read from Genesis 2, delivered his homily, and then conducted the wedding ceremony. During the exchange of vows, the bride and groom had their hands bound together with a strip of cloth—another Scottish tradition.

As the father of the bride, I watched from the den. I was sitting in the same chair where I sat to watch the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. (We are never getting rid of that chair.) I was wearing a t-shirt, sweat shirt, blue jeans, and slippers. Other family members were present, as was the family cat. Popcorn was served.

This is not an April Fools prank. This is not First Friday Fiction. This is part of how the pandemic is rewriting life’s scripts for us all. I hope that you and those you love are well. J.