Good morning, Quartz readers!
Here’s what you need to know
The US set a new coronavirus record. It reported over 77,000 new cases yesterday, while the number of deaths was the highest since early June. As cases spike around the country, states like Texas and Arizona are running out of space to store bodies.
BA is retiring its entire fleet of Boeing 747s. “It is unlikely our magnificent “queen of the skies” will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again due to the downturn in travel caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic,” a spokesman said.
Twitter reportedly already had security concerns before the hack. The company has been looking for a new security chief for weeks, Reuters reports. The FBI is is now investigating a breach this week that compromised dozens of high-profile accounts.
A major European Union summit will determine its rescue package. Leaders are gathering—in person—for two days to hammer out the details of an $850 billion recovery fund. There are the usual divisions between the wealthy north and the poorer, harder-hit south.
Netflix is doing just fine, and is as stable as any business can be. The streaming service revealed yesterday that it added more than 10 million global subscribers in the second quarter, beating both Wall Street estimates and its internal forecast by several million.
Charting Americans’ final wishes
The US funeral home industry, like all businesses these days, has had to adapt to the pandemic. And the handling of bodies has evolved, too: “We have seen an increase in cremation instead of burials since Covid happened,” says Dutch Nie, a spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association. But this uptick isn’t strictly a reflection of the pandemic: It falls in line with a trend that began in 2015, and will likely continue.
✦ For members: How to build an antiracist company
As Black Lives Matter protests prompt organizations around the world to rethink the way they do business, here are some ideas on how to combat injustice:
- Diversity programs aren’t working. Many businesses facing criticism for racist practices have long pledged to devote themselves to change. Clearly, those efforts have failed.
- Go back to the business model. Can corporate diversity alone repair harms like small-business discrimination, predatory lending, and the spread of racist narratives?
- Values don’t know borders. Consumers expect multinationals to live up to their principles wherever they do business.
- It’s an ongoing struggle. South Africa’s worsening income inequality offers a case study in the danger of pursuing non-racialism over antiracist policies.
✦ To learn more about what it means to create an antiracist company sign up for a free seven-day Quartz membership.
You asked about face masks
What are the characteristics of the most effective face mask to protect against Covid-19? —Sallie
Sadly this is still a relevant question as major countries including the US, Brazil, and India, continue to see rising numbers of infections. One way of thinking about it is that the best mask is the one that you actually wear. Writing in the New Yorker, surgeon Atul Gawande referred to a study suggesting that “if at least sixty percent of the population wore masks that were just sixty-percent effective…the epidemic could be stopped.”
But you asked about the best. So here’s a rundown of what the different masks on the market can do to help protect you and others.
- Cloth masks help protect others from your outgoing germs, but they don’t protect well against incoming germs (especially when the fabric is damp).
- Medical-grade surgical masks are made from melted, synthetic fibers shaped into an extremely fine web. They can keep medical workers from infecting others, but don’t provide as much protection from infection as…
- N95 respirators, which are designed to fit so they form a seal around the nose and mouth. The 95 means they can block at least 95% of incoming particles as small as 0.3 microns.
- KN95 respirators are similar to an N95, but they meet slightly different specifications set by the Chinese government.
Surprising discoveries
Zappos will sell you a single shoe. A pilot program hopes to serve those who wear prosthetics or have different-sized feet.
No more trick-or-treating at the yakuza’s offices. The Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate may be barred from giving candy to minors in Japan.
Weed is growing outside Mexico’s senate building. Hundreds of marijuana plants have sprung up after pro-legalization groups sowed seeds in a park.
An ancient Egyptian coup might have been an inside job. An analysis of skeletons suggests that the Hyksos invaders around 1500 BCE were actually born in Egypt.
Apparently poor-quality photos revealed a secret about deep-sea fish. The darkest-colored species actually absorb light.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, mismatched moccasins, and ancient battle plans to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app on iOS and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Liz Webber, Katherine Ellen Foley, Amanda Shendruk, and Max Lockie.