Day: October 12, 2020

Virginia Joins Growing List of US States Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day

The state of Virginia proclaimed Monday “Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” the latest of a growing list of states that have chosen to honor Indigenous Americans on a federal holiday dedicated to Christopher Columbus.“As a country and as a Commonwealth, we have too often failed to live up to our commitments with those who were the first stewards of the lands we now call Virginia, and they have suffered historic injustices as a result,” Gov. Ralph Northam said in a statement.Last year, Maine, New Mexico and Vermont moved to officially observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day, joining Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon and South Dakota.Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Columbus Day via proclamation.Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1937, commemorating Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of the United States — a land already occupied by Indigenous Americans. In 1977, a delegation of Native Nations presented a resolution to the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas, paving the way for individual cities and states to commemorate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.“By dedicating this day to the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples, we condemn those who have tried to erase us, and build strength through understanding,” Deb Haaland, the first Indigenous woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, wrote Monday on Twitter.By dedicating this day to the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples, we condemn those who have tried to erase us, and build strength through understanding. #IndigenousPeoplesDaypic.twitter.com/gDPN5P9LWf— Rep. Deb Haaland (@RepDebHaaland) October 12, 2020In addition to honoring Indigenous lives, proponents of Indigenous Peoples’ Day cite crimes committed by Columbus against Indigenous people as a reason to change the nature of the holiday.“After 50 years of “Columbus discovering America,” 2.86 million of the estimated 3 million Tainos living on the island now named Hispaniola had died, 95% of the population,” Rebecca Nagle, Cherokee writer and activist, wrote Monday on Twitter.6. After 50 years of “Columbus discovering America”, 2.86 million of the estimated 3 million Tainos living on the island now named Hispanola had died, 95% of the population. Imagine if in a period of 50 years, 19 out of every 20 people you knew had died.— Rebecca Nagle (@rebeccanagle) October 12, 2020The White House released a statement Monday honoring Columbus Day, denouncing “radical activists” for “seeking to undermine” the legacy of Columbus.“These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions,” the statement reads.  

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Scientist: ‘Asteroid’ Approaching Earth May Actually Be Old Piece of Rocket 

A scientist from the U.S. space agency says what was thought to be a small asteroid heading towards Earth may actually be a 54-year-old section from a rocket coming back home. The head of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), Paul Chodas, told the Associated Press the object was first spotted by a telescope in Hawaii last month as part of the ongoing effort to monitor space objects that may pass close to Earth and possibly pose a threat. Chodas said further observations of the object, named Asteroid 2020 SO, indicated it had that a near-circular orbit around the sun, similar to Earth’s, an unusual characteristic for an asteroid, and a first clue that it might have originated from here. Chodas said the object is also in the same orbital plane as Earth, not tilted above or below, while asteroids that originate in deep space the sun orbit at odd angles. Finally, its speed approaching Earth is about 2,400 kilometers per hour, slow by asteroid standards. The NASA scientist speculates 2020 SO is actually the upper stage of a Centaur rocket that successfully propelled NASA’s Surveyor 2 unmanned lunar probe to the moon in 1966 before it was discarded.  The lander had been designed to land on the moon but crashed there after one of its thrusters failed.  The rocket, meanwhile, swept past the moon and into orbit around the sun as it was designed to do. Asteroid 2020 SO is estimated to be roughly eight meters long, based on its brightness, which would be roughly the size of the Centaur rocket section, which would be less than ten meters long and three meters in diameter.  Chodas has made a personal hobby of trying find such discarded pieces of NASA history, and is excited about confirming his speculation as the object gets closer. He predicts once it gets close enough next month, Asteroid 2020 SO will be captured in Earth’s orbit and spend about four months circling Earth before shooting back out into its own orbit around the sun.   

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WHO Chief: Pursuing Herd Immunity Through Coronavirus Exposure ‘Unethical’ 

The head of the World Health Organization is warning against a strategy of pursuing herd immunity to stop the coronavirus pandemic, calling the idea unethical.At a news briefing Monday in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said health officials should only try to achieve immunity through vaccination, not through exposing people to the virus.Herd immunity happens when a population is protected from a virus because a threshold immunity has been reached in that society.“Never in the history of public health has herd immunity been used as a strategy for responding to an outbreak, let alone a pandemic. It’s scientifically and ethically problematic,” Tedros said.The WHO estimates that about 10% of the world has contracted the coronavirus. It is not yet known what percentage rate of infection is needed to achieve herd immunity.Tedros noted that to obtain herd immunity from measles, about 95% of the population must be vaccinated, while for polio, the threshold is about 80%.Virus can survive 28 daysIn another development Monday, scientists in Australia discovered that the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, can survive on solid common surfaces for as long as 28 days.In a study published in Virology Journal, researchers at CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), Australia’s national science agency, found the SARS-CoV-2 virus was “extremely robust,” surviving on smooth surfaces at 20 degrees Celsius, compared to the flu virus, which lasts for 17 days in the same circumstances. The scientists at CSIRO also found the SARS-CoV-2 virus stopped being infectious after about 24 hours at 40 degrees Celsius.The scientists at CSIRO found the novel coronavirus can survive on such common surfaces as paper banknotes, glass and stainless steel.In EuropeIn Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a new coronavirus alert system for the country during a speech in Parliament. Instead of a blanket nationwide lockdown, the government’s new system designates areas as medium, high and very high risk.Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London, Oct. 12, 2020.Under the first tier, areas with relatively low infection rates will have limited restrictions on restaurants and bars, with the restrictions gradually tightening up to the third tier, when restaurants and bars will be forced to close. Lawmakers will vote on the move on Tuesday.The new system is being implemented as Britain reaches what a spokesman for Johnson described as “a critical juncture.” The nation is experiencing a dramatic surge of new cases, especially in the northern cities of Liverpool, Merseyside, Manchester and Newcastle. Britain has nearly 43,000 coronavirus deaths, one of the highest numbers in Europe.At the Vatican, four Swiss Guards, the corps that protects the pope, tested positive. The Vatican said the men have been isolated, and officials are tracing and notifying anyone with whom the men had contact.Pope Francis recently drew criticism on social media for his decision not to wear a mask during a Wednesday audience.In Spain, supporters of the far-right Vox Party held protests by car across the country against coronavirus restrictions. Protesters honked horns and waved Spanish flags out of their car windows.People wave Spanish flags during a drive-in protest organized by Spain’s far-right Vox party against the government’s handling of the nation’s coronavirus outbreak in Madrid, Oct. 12, 2020.French Prime Minister Jean Castex refused to rule out further lockdowns on Monday after health officials reported about 43,000 new infections over the weekend.“Nothing should be ruled out when we see the situation in our hospitals,” Castex told broadcaster France Info. Government officials are set to review health data on Wednesday and consider further restrictions in some areas.In Belgium, organizers of the Brussels auto show canceled the January event which typically draws 500,000 visitors to the capital city.ElsewhereMore than 37.6 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, and more than 1 million people have died, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. India officially topped 7 million total infections on Sunday, second only to the United States, which has more than 7.7 million confirmed cases.Medical workers in protective suits collect swabs for nucleic acid tests during a city-wide testing following COVID-19 cases in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, Oct. 12, 2020.Health authorities in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao will test all 9 million of its citizens after reporting nine new coronavirus cases on Sunday, all of them linked to a hospital that treats infected travelers from overseas. The new cases include four confirmed infections and five asymptomatic cases, making them the first recorded locally transmitted asymptomatic infections in China since Sept. 24, according to the Bloomberg news service. 

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Wave of ‘Nutcracker’ Cancellations Hits Dance Companies Hard

For many, it’s not Christmas without the dance of Clara, Uncle Drosselmeyer, the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Mouse King and, of course, the Nutcracker Prince.
But this year the coronavirus pandemic has canceled performances of “The Nutcracker” around the U.S. and Canada, eliminating a major and reliable source of revenue for dance companies already reeling financially following the essential shutdown of their industry.
“This is an incredibly devastating situation for the arts and in particular for organizations like ours that rely on ticket sales from the Nutcracker to fund so many of our initiatives,” said Sue Porter, executive director of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio.
“The Nutcracker” typically provides about $1.4 million of the company’s $2 million in annual ticket sales, against a $7 million budget. That money goes to school programing and financial aid for dance class students, Porter said. It’s the first year since 1977 that the company isn’t staging the ballet in Ohio’s capital.
The cancellations have meant layoffs, furloughs and salary cuts, with companies relying heavily— sometimes exclusively — on fundraising to stay afloat. Beyond their financial importance, “Nutcracker” performances are also a crucial marketing tool for dance companies, company directors say.
Children often enroll in classes for the chance to dance in the performances as mice, young partygoers and angels, among other supporting roles. For adults, the shows are sometimes their initial experience watching live dance.
“It tends to be the first ballet that people see, the first time they experience attending a production, that thrill when the curtain goes up, the hush of the crowd,” said Max Hodges, executive director of the Boston Ballet. “So for that reason it’s a key part of the pipeline in welcoming audiences into the art form.”
After deciding to cancel this year’s live performances, the Boston Ballet will use archived footage of past performances for a one-hour version to be shown on television in New England. The annual $8 million in “Nutcracker” ticket sales accounts for about 20% of the company’s annual budget.
The pandemic has cost the arts and entertainment industry  about 1.4 million jobs and $42.5 billion nationally, according to an August analysis by the Brookings Institution.
The economic vulnerability inherent in arts organizations is exacerbated when they rely on a major seasonal event — like “The Nutcracker” — for large portions of revenue, said Amir Pasic, dean of the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
One silver lining is the opportunity for organizations to improve their online offerings, which could also help open up markets to younger consumers, he said.
That’s the case in Toronto, where the National Ballet of Canada is contemplating future hybrid programming that offers tickets for in-person “Nutcracker” performances and less expensive tickets for those who want to watch it online. The company canceled its “Nutcracker” in August.
“We’re going to build into our model regular capture of content to build a more robust catalogue,” said Executive Director Barry Hughson. “So when we face this at some point in future — hopefully a long way away in the future — we will have solved that part of this equation.”
The cost of the digital equipment needed to record broadcast quality performances has been a sticking point for companies in the past, said Amy Fitterer, executive director of Dance/USA, a dance service and advocacy organization. Now, companies are working on ways to access such equipment to prepare for a hybrid future of performances, she said.
Other cancellations this year include performances by the New York City Ballet, the Charlotte Ballet, the Milwaukee Ballet, the Sacramento Ballet and the Kansas City Ballet, which is forgoing about $2.2 million in ticket sales.
Making it through this season is tough enough, but “if this goes beyond next year, then I think we’ve got some serious issues to attend to,” said Jeffrey Bentley, the Kansas City Ballet’s executive director.
Some companies that canceled are offering online streams of a past performance, such as Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet. Others are offering in-person performances of a sort, such as Atlanta Ballet’s “Drive-In Movie Experience” allowing patrons to watch a filmed past performance from their car.
Still others are proceeding, for now, with plans for live performances. The Eugene Ballet in Oregon canceled its normal four-state tour but expanded its stage offerings from four to 10 performances, with a socially distanced audience of 500 in a 2,500-seat auditorium. The company is shortening performances to 70 minutes, reducing the number of student participants and going without a live orchestra.
“We’re just all trying to be resilient, and our dancers are champing at the bit to get in the studio and start rehearsing things,” said Eugene Ballet Artistic Director Toni Pimble.
Of the 50 dance companies with the largest annual expenses surveyed by the Dance Data Project, only eight were proceeding with in-person performances. Others either canceled, planned to offer streaming versions or still haven’t made an announcement.
In Fort Worth, the cancellation of the Texas Ballet Theater’s “Nutcracker” meant the loss of about $2 million in ticket sales. It was also a personal blow to 16-year-old Micah Sparrow, who would have danced roles as a rat and a cook, the third time she would have performed in the show.
Sparrow, a longtime Texas Ballet Theater student, hopes to become a professional dancer. For now, she attends ballet classes reduced in scope as social distancing limits normal movement.
“It really gives me a sense of purpose around the Christmas season just to make magic for the audience and for everyone who watches it,” Sparrow said. “I’m really going to miss it.”

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Facebook to Ban Content that Denies, Distorts Holocaust

Facebook announced Monday that it is updating its hate speech policy and will ban all posts that deny or distort the Jewish Holocaust.Today we’re updating our hate speech policy to ban Holocaust denial.

We’ve long taken down posts that praise hate…Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, October 12, 2020“We’ve long taken down posts that praise hate crimes or mass murder, including the Holocaust,” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post. Zuckerberg said that with rising anti-Semitism, the company was expanding its policy to prohibit such content. He added, “If people search for the Holocaust on Facebook, we’ll start directing you to authoritative sources to get accurate information.”The announcement follows a #NoDenyingIt campaign by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.The non-profit Anti-Defamation League said on Facebook that it was pleased the social media giant “has finally taken the step we have been asking for nearly a decade: Remove Holocaust denial from their platform.” The ADL also said, “They now need to be transparent and document the steps being taken to keep this hate off the platform.”World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder also welcomed the move, saying that by taking this “critical step,” Facebook is showing it recognizes Holocaust denial for what it truly is – a form of anti-Semitism “and therefore hate speech.”The American Jewish Committee made similar comments, with its CEO, David Harris, calling the decision “profoundly significant.” He said, “There shouldn’t be a sliver of doubt about what the Nazi German regime did, nor should such a mega-platform as Facebook be used by antisemites to peddle their grotesque manipulation of history.”An estimated six million Jews died in the Holocaust.Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, came under fire in 2018 for saying in an interview that while he found Holocaust-denying content deeply offensive, he did not think it should be deleted.“I’ve struggled with the tension between standing for free expression and the harm caused by minimizing or denying the horror of the Holocaust. My own thinking has evolved as I’ve seen data showing an increase in anti-Semitic violence, as have our wider policies on hate speech,” Zuckerberg wrote Monday.The move is the latest in a series of measures taken by Facebook to delete or ban offensive or false information, particularly ahead of the November 3 presidential election in the United States.

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Kardashians Join California’s Armenian Diaspora in Mobilizing Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The ongoing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has triggered an outpouring of support from Los Angeles’s Armenian community, one of the largest in the world.
On October 10, U.S. reality television star Kim Kardashian, who is of Armenian descent, announced she had donated $1 million to the Armenia Fund, which seeks to provide humanitarian relief efforts such as food, shelter, and medical care for those affected by the conflict.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together,” Kardashian said in a video message to her followers on Instagram.The reality TV star and business mogul, whose father was a third-generation Armenian-American, has often spoken out about issues affecting Armenia and its people. View this post on InstagramI’m so honored to be part of today’s global effort to support the @armeniafund. I’ve been speaking out about the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh and having conversations with so many others to bring further awareness to the crisis that we cannot allow to advance. My thoughts and prayers are with the brave men, women and children. I want everyone to remember that despite the distance that separates us, we are not limited by borders and we are one global Armenian nation together. The @armeniafund is directly helping those that have been impacted during this critical time with humanitarian aid through food, shelter, and medical care. I will be donating $1M to assist their efforts on the ground and invite you to join me. Whether you are helping with just raising awareness and posting on social media or donating just $1, every bit helps. Let’s make this our most successful fundraiser ever. Thank you so much. 🇦🇲 ❤️💙🧡A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Oct 10, 2020 at 1:01pm PDTHer famous sisters, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, also took to Instagram to call for joining the pan-Armenian fund-raiser.
The next day, thousands of people protested in Los Angeles in support of Armenians, waving Armenian flags, chanting, and carrying signs.FILE – People take part in a protest by Armenian Youth Federation against what they call Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia and the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region outside the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles, California.Meanwhile, the city’s Armenian community has been rallying around calls to support Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, with multiple restaurants offering donation deals and charity initiatives aimed at raising funds.
Southern California is home to the largest Armenian population in the United States; an East Hollywood neighborhood was designated Little Armenia in 2000.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted in support of the protesters, attaching a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from a group of mayors and congressional lawmakers urging the United States to help deescalate tensions in the conflict.
“As proud representatives of Armenian-American communities across our country, we share their deep concerns about the violence being inflicted upon Artsakh, the growing number of civilian casualties, and the involvement of regional actors like Turkey and Iran,” the letter reads.Armenians refer to Nagorno-Karabakh as Artsakh.
“We ask that you lead the effort to bring Armenia and Azerbaijan back to the negotiating table, and persuade Turkey to disengage,” the letter states.
There was no mention of Azerbaijani casualties.
Azerbaijan’s consul-general to the western United States, Nasimi Aghayev, condemned the Los Angeles mayor for ignoring the deaths of civilians in rocket attacks by Armenian forces on Azerbaijani cities.
“Is there no limit to political expediency? No red lines? Should the #politics always be about campaign money & votes?” he wrote, adding a video showing the damage and casualties caused by Armenian attacks on Ganca, Azerbaijan’s second-largest city.@MayorOfLA, how can you stand with the #murderers of innocent #Azerbaijani #civilians, killed ruthlessly by #Armenia in their sleep? Is there no limit to political expediency? No red lines? Should the #politics always be about campaign money & votes? pic.twitter.com/v86ugzTTvK— Nasimi Aghayev 🇦🇿 (@NasimiAghayev) October 12, 2020@MayorOfLA, this line from your letter is very disturbing. #Armenia-#Azerbaijan conflict has nothing to do with #religion. Any attempt to bring religion into it plays into hands of #Islamophobes & must be condemned. Suggest this reading for elucidation: https://t.co/Mf1YZuT9UIpic.twitter.com/5VCyDMUYDB— Nasimi Aghayev 🇦🇿 (@NasimiAghayev) October 12, 2020The protest came as fragile cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has come under strain as both sides have accused the other of violations, including rocket attacks and shelling of cities.
Hundreds of soldiers and an unknown number of civilians have been killed on both sides since fighting erupted on September 27, in the biggest escalation in the conflict since the shaky 1994 cease-fire.
At one point, a crowd of at least 20,000 people gathered in front of the Turkish Consulate in Beverly Hills to condemn Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan.
The demonstration appeared to be largely peaceful.

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Icebreaker Returns From A-Year-Long Expedition to North Pole

An icebreaker belonging to Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) returned to Germany Monday with what the scientists on board say is proof of a dying Arctic Ocean and warnings of ice-free summers, after a more than yearlong expedition that included time at the North Pole. Expedition leader Markus Rex said the team collected a wealth of data that will be used to improve scientific models of global warming to predict climate change in the decades to come, especially in the Arctic, where changes have come faster than elsewhere on Earth. Rex, an atmospheric scientist at AWI for Polar and Ocean Research that organized the expedition, said that scientists witnessed firsthand the dramatic effects of global warming on ice in the Arctic Circle, considered “the epicenter of climate change.” The RV Polarstern arrived in the North Sea port of Bremerhaven, 389 days after it set off on its mission. More than 300 scientists from 20 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China participated in the $177-million expedition. 

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Study: Virus That Causes COVID-19 Can Survive for Up to a Month on Common Surfaces

Scientists in Australia have discovered that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can survive on solid common surfaces for as long as 28 days. In a study published Monday in Virology Journal, researchers at CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization), Australia’s national science agency, found the SARS-COV-2 virus was “extremely robust,” surviving on smooth surfaces at 20 degrees Celsius, compared to the flu virus, which lasts for 17 days in the same circumstances. The scientists at CSIRO also found the SARS-COV-2 virus stopped being infectious after about 24 hours at 40 degrees Celsius.  The scientists at CSIRO found the novel coronavirus can survive on such common surfaces as paper banknotes, glass and stainless steel.   In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to unveil a new coronavirus alert system for the country during a speech in Parliament Monday. Instead of a blanket nationwide lockdown, the government’s new system designates areas as medium, high and very high risk. Under the first tier, areas with relatively low infection rates will have limited restrictions on restaurants and bars, with the restrictions gradually tightening up to the third tier, when restaurants and bars will be forced to close.Commuters walk across London Bridge during the morning rush hour towards the offices in the financial district of the City of London in London, Monday, Oct. 12, 2020.The new system is being implemented as Britain reaches what a spokesman for Prime Minister Johnson described as “a critical juncture.”  The nation is experiencing a dramatic surge of new COVID-19 cases, especially in the northern cities of Liverpool, Merseyside, Manchester and Newcastle. Britain has 42,825 COVID-19 deaths, one of the highest numbers in Europe, including 65 on Sunday. More than 37.4 million people around the world have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, including 1,075,942 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracking project.  India officially topped 7 million total COVID-19 infections on Sunday, second only to the United States, which has 7.7 million confirmed cases.  India’s health ministry also reported 918 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the country’s total fatality rate to 108,334.   Health authorities in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Qingdao will test all nine million of its citizens after reporting nine new coronavirus cases on Sunday, all of them linked to a hospital that treats infected travelers from overseas.  The new cases include four confirmed infections and five asymptomatic cases, making them the first recorded locally transmitted asymptomatic infections in China since September 24, according to Bloomberg news service. 

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LeBron Leads Lakers to NBA Championship

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 106-93 Sunday night to capture the National Basketball Association Championship. LeBron James led the Lakers with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists on his way to being named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. James has now won championships with three different teams, and the Lakers have tied the Boston Celtics with a league record 17 overall titles. Miami pushed the best-of-7 series to six games despite dealing with injuries to some of its key players, including Bam Adebayo, who missed two games.Los Angels Lakers fans celebrate after the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the 2020 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship, Oct. 11, 2020.Sunday night’s contest was in little doubt after Los Angeles built a 64-36 lead at halftime. The Heat battled back in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lakers 35-19, but the late charge was not enough. Los Angeles dedicated its season to former star Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash in January. Players league-wide also endured a four-and-a-half-month layoff due to the coronavirus before returning to play at the end of July.  The NBA successfully employed a bubble strategy of having players live and play at a single site in Florida in order to prevent infections. The start date for the next NBA season, which during a normal year would have begun this month, has not yet been set. 

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