The Hollywood Reporter recently released that Disney Ex-CEO now Executive Chairman Bob Iger will forgo his salary as well as new CEO Bob Chapek taking a 50% pay cut to his own base salary.

Bob Iger is one of the highest paid executives in the entertainment and media industry. As of last year, Iger made $47.5 million and in 2018, $65.6 million. In Chapek’s case, cutting his base salary may seem like a lot, however, it does not account for his entire compensation package  of “… and annual target bonus of $7.5 million, and an annual long-term incentive grant of $15 million (Parker, 2020).” In terms of the entire company, all VP’s will have their salary reduced by 20%, SVP’s by 25% and EVP’s by 30%.

COVID-19 has shut down all Disney parks and has halted the release and production of all of their future blockbuster movies. Right now the only way they are making money is through streaming their content, not just in Disney+, but other streaming platforms where this content is available as well. The pandemic has caused Disney to take a major financial hit for with these pay cuts are critical in order to keep Disney afloat. Despite being one of the largest companies in the world, at the rate the economy is going, there is now much that can be done to generate revenue. With parks, hotels, and overseas locations closed, Disney, much like other companies, are struggling in dealing with the effects of a global pandemic.

The Netflix hit tiger king released at the perrrfect time with everyone stuck inside with nothing to do but binge watch. The documentary series has everything to keep you locked and engaged from love to murder and some of the most beautiful and dangerous animals in the world. The two main protagonists in the series are two archenemies Joe Exotic and Carole Baskins. Joe is the owner and operator of a wildlife zoo in central Oklahoma where he claims to have the largest privately owned tiger zoo in the world. Carole is the owner of a wild life “sanctuary” in Tampa, Florida. From the look of things these two individuals should have a commonality that would bind them as colleagues, big cats, but they couldn’t be further from friends.  

The series is so outrageous and full of characters it’s almost hard to imagine that this show wasn’t scripted but sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.  One of the most captivating of all the sub plots in the series is the disappearance of Carole Baskins second Husband Don Lewis. Don Lewis was the money behind the big cat operation and as soon as it seemed Don was done with Carole and was getting ready to file for divorce he up and disappeared without a trace. The series alludes to Carole having something to do with the disappearance but law enforcement was never able to find and hard evidence to support the speculation. The show is dramatic and captivating so if you haven’t seen it yet it’s time.

Image: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2020/03/28/review-netflixs-tiger-king-is-an-unmissable-ugly-portrait-of-humanity/#533df7c9191e

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/arts/television/netflix-tiger-king-recaps.html

In this article, it explains how you can help the small businesses in your community, even on Instagram. We all know this is a crazy time with the current state our country is in with the pandemic and how many local businesses have had to shut down. Instagram has made a section where you can buy gift cards using their app to help support businesses. “You can now set-up links to gift cards from Stories stickers and your profile so customers can help your business.” It states that if you think about it, your local bookstore is going to lose a lot of money due to the loss of traffic so they could offer a 5 percent discount on gift cards to get people to purchase those, so the book store is still getting a source of income. Also, with movie theaters, play centers, nail salons, and hair salons. This would be an excellent time for specific places like that to think of different ways to promote their business and get people to buy gift cards. Instagram is also looking to add a new ‘Support’ sticker to gather donations/promoting gift cards for SMBs and artists. Instagram is doing everything they can at this time to help businesses stay afloat, and so they don’t have to close. A big thing my family has been trying to do is get curbside pick up from our local restaurants and breweries. We have also purchased gift cards from there so they can have a flow of income and stay open. 

In a recent article by the Guardian, we learned the long-awaited fate of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. After several weeks of deliberation, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have officially been postponed. This decision came after extensive discussion between Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, who mutually decided postponement was “inevitable.” Both leaders reassured international audiences that canceling the Games was out of the question, and the delay was the “most appropriate response to the global disruption.” Organizers must consider the health and wellness of athletes as well as spectators from around the globe. 

Given the uncertainty of our times, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee has yet to schedule a new date. The Games will likely occur in the summer of 2021, though they could happen as soon as late 2020. Organizers have hinted at a possible April 2021 re-scheduled date, though they must consider how it could intervene with other sporting events. 

Not only has this postponement disappointed fans and athletes, but it has also taken a massive blow to Tokyo’s economy. To date, the country has spent over $12 billion on preparations for the event, not counting enormous sums spent by broadcasters and sponsors. Financial analysts across the world have estimated that the country could lose nearly $5 billion if the Games did not take place as scheduled in summer 2020. Given the economic uncertainty, Japan is already facing due to the pandemic, and it’s difficult to say how the nation will be impacted. Still, citizens of Japan seemed to have already accepted the Games would not be held even before it was officially announced. A poll conducted before the announcement determined that nearly 70% of the population did not expect the Games to continue as scheduled. 

Prior to the official announcement, nations across the globe had already announced they would not participate if the Games continued as planned. Canada became the first country to withdraw, and others eventually followed suit. Although the Olympics serve as an opportunity for countries across the globe to achieve unity together, we must focus first on conquering the enemy affecting us all, COVID-19. There is so much on the line right now, and to risk the health and safety of international athletes and fans would be careless and could likely set us back even farther than anticipated. As citizens of the world, we must work together to restore the health and well being of all those affected so we can come together again and compete alongside one another in Tokyo. 

Netflix is cranking out the stand up just in the right time because I think we could all use a laugh or two right about now. Tom Segura is back on Netflix with his forth stand-up special, Ball Hog. The special is Tom’s iconic story telling style where he can get personal about his life and family all while upsetting audiences in the best of ways.

Tom is a host on a number of podcasts the most popular being “Your Moms House” which is co-hosted by his wife Christina P. Your Moms House Podcast is full of found Internet characters, Current events, special guests, and long running inside jokes that take silliness to the extreme. If you trying to keep things high and tight during quarantine give Tom Segura’s Ball Hog a shot, try it out.

Since the beginning of march Netflix released Taylor Tomlinson quarter life Crisis at just twenty-five this is already her second stand-up special, she’s hilarious and her comedy has the stamp of approval from all the comedy greats. Comedy legend Marc Maron’s special premiered March 10^th And Bert Kreischer’s Hey Big Boy premiered on week later on March 17^th.  Also in april there will be more specials coming to nextflix with Chris D’elia heading their Marquee with special that’s sure to rip. Stay safe, stay inside, and laugh.

Image: https://www.tennesseetheatre.com/event/788849/tom-segura-take-it-down-tour/

Article: https://www.newsweek.com/tom-segura-netflix-special-ball-hog-1492845

This article gives you a look at what fitness companies are doing to keep their members active and engaged while in quarantine. We all know that in the last few weeks, many states have been put into a shelter in place, which means you can only leave your house for groceries, and if you require medical treatment. This eliminates going to the gym and going to exercise classes such as yoga, cycle, and boxing. All of these places had to close there doors, for the time being, leaving people without there usual routine of being active. Certain areas implementing free or for a low rate online classes so that you can stay active and get a good sweat in at home. For example, those companies are participating in being Beachbody, P90X, Barry’s Bootcamp, Peloton, and many more. The fitness and health club industry estimates around 30 billion dollars annually and keeps rising every year. They are keeping people active and fit through this quarantine and helping people stay sane with having classes throughout the day. There are over 30,000 membership-based exercise facilities in the U.S. It is giving the fitness companies more exposure, and so they can keep making money. People are streaming more and more workouts. Since the quarantine started On Demand streaming, exercises are the fastest-growing fitness category. On-demand fitness spends spiked 58.7% since 2018 and nearly 130% since 2017. This will also help keep people in their houses when they should be and help social distancing by still being able to take classes with your friends just online and at your homes.

As fear and concerns surrounding the current global health pandemic continue to worsen, governments are taking new steps in monitoring citizens. A recent article in the New York Times discusses how countries, including South Korea, Italy, and Israel, have begun harnessing surveillance footage as well as smartphone data to trace the movements and behaviors of citizens. In Italy, authorities are using location data from smartphones to determine who is obeying government lockdown procedures. 

As government officials across the world work to contain COVID-19, many have turned to digital surveillance as a means to control and monitor citizens. Health and law enforcement agencies have urged officials to employ every tool available to them to combat the growth of the pandemic. It seems few have considered how these efforts threaten personal privacy to secure public safety. 

Many fear that this could open new doors to new and more evasive surveillance techniques in the future. Many have cited the actions taken after 9/11 as a possible hint of what is to come. As technology continues to advance, authorities now have access to location tracking and facial recognition technologies. Many fear these technologies may eventually be repurposed to further political agendas of those in power. Still, many argue that in the event of an emergency, such as a pandemic, some liberties must be sacrificed to save lives. 

These actions are starting to hit close to home, as the White House has recently announced they would be working with Google, Facebook, and other tech companies to about using location data to track virus patients whereabouts. These actions would require tapping into the phone data of thousands of Americans for public health surveillance. Following this announcement, members of Congress spoke out uring the President and Vice President to take measures that would ensure the protection of said data. 

Earlier this month, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio posted to Twitter, sharing details about a Westchester lawyer who potentially tested positive for COVID-19. The tweet included personal information, including his place of work and the names of schools attended by his children. Within hours, reporters had identified the man, classifying him as “patient zero” in the state. The lawyer’s wife soon took to Facebook, asking the public to focus on mitigation efforts, rather than targeting and finger-pointing at the family. This is just one example of the risk involved in harvesting and then sharing the personal data of civilians amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Negligence and carelessness could potentially put targets on the backs of patients, leading to dangerous and even potentially fatal backlash.