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COVID-19 Checkpoints Coming? States Begin
Monitoring Their Borders For Outsiders
Some states are now trying to intercept travelers
from other states and force them into quarantine.
Measures that would have been unthinkable just
a few short weeks ago have now become a reality,
and things are likely to get even crazier in the days
ahead. If this pandemic is causing this much fear
already even though less than 3,000 Americans
have died so far, what will the level of fear be if
30,000 or 300,000 Americans die?
COVID-19 Big Brother Mass Surveillance
Is Only Just Beginning
The World Health Organization has widely
supported the actions by governments to tap
technology companies to unleash mass
surveillance programs to fight the virus.
However, monitoring the populace through
invasive technology tools will erode whatever
freedoms people of the West have left and
risk ushering in a more permanent dystopian
surveillance system like China's.
Exclusive: Hackers linked to Iran target WHO
staff emails during coronavirus
It is not clear if any accounts were compromised,
but the attacks show how the WHO and other
organizations at the center of a global effort to
contain the coronavirus have come under a
sustained digital bombardment by hackers
seeking information about the outbreak.
Is Israel on its way to a fourth election?
What was perceived over a week ago as a quick
solution between the Bibi-led Likud and the
Gantz-led remnant of the Blue & White Party,
cruelly named the Black & Blue Party by some
members of the political right in Israel, has
become bogged down in a tactical Game of
Thrones, as the horse-trading for government
ministries leads to friction and division.
…..At closer inspection, however, this is more
important than it looks to an outsider. It is a
tactical battle over the future of Israel’s
democracy, Zionism, the shaping of Israel’s
economy, and the geopolitical map of Israel.
Extremists see global chaos from virus as an
opportunity
Al-Qaida suggested in a statement Tuesday that
non-Muslims use their time in quarantine to
learn about Islam. But in a sharp commentary
in its al-Naba newsletter in mid-March, IS urged
followers to show no mercy and launch attacks
in this time of crisis.
The Unemployment line
The Department of Labor announced a record
6.6 million applications for unemployment
benefits last week. This is on the heels of the
previous week’s report of 3.3 million initial
unemployment claims, the first signs of the
economic devastation wrought by the
coronavirus pandemic.
…..To better understand the scale of the
problem, let’s imagine each claim as a person
on an actual unemployment line …
… standing six feet apart to avoid spreading
the virus.
The number of people seeking benefits would
stretch for 7,500 miles. That is in addition to the
3,758 miles representing the previous week’s report.
Where Have All The People Gone?
(these places usually packed with people)
Disney, Orlando Florida
Eiffel Tower, Paris
Sydney Opera House
Leaning Tower, Pisa, Italy
Empty station in Ukraine
Brooklyn Bridge
Nearly empty street in Honduras
Westminster Bridge in London