Everything is OK
Whew, i thought you were the coronavirus... - by Mike Luckovich
Why Trump should trigger NATO’s Article 5 vs. COVID-19 - by Frederick Kempe (Atlanticcouncil)
"If NATO could bend Article 5 to combat a non-state terrorist actor striking the United States, why not also to combat the Chinese-originated COVID-19, which by Friday had infected more than 28,000 individuals and killed more than 1,200 among NATO allies. Given current transatlantic divisions, there is far greater need now than after 9/11 for a symbolic gesture of unity."
Corona: Vatican allows general absolution (vaticannews)
In face of the Corona crisis, the Vatican allows priests in all affected areas to issue general absolution. And it offers coronavirus sufferers and healthcare workers the opportunity to get a complete indulgence.
A debt jubilee is the only way to avoid a depression - Washington Post Opinion - by Michael Hudson, president of the Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends and distinguished research professor of economics at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
The word “Jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word for “trumpet” — yobel. In Mosaic Law, it was blown every 50 years to signal the Year of the Lord, in which personal debts were to be canceled. When Jesus delivered his first sermon, the Gospel of Luke describes him as unrolling the scroll of Isaiah and announcing that he had come to proclaim the Year of the Lord, the Jubilee Year.
The coronavirus outbreak is serving as a mind-expansion exercise, making hitherto unthinkable solutions thinkable. Debts that can’t be paid won’t be. A debt jubilee may be the best way out.
Conspiracy Theory (wikispooks)
"Conspiracy theory" is a pejorative applied to ideas which challenge an official narrative; people interested in them are termed "conspiracy theorists". This usage stems from the US deep state's efforts to promote the "lone nut" theory of the JFK assassination. The concept was later developed into a general purpose enemy image used to try to prevent the connection of deep events that the commercially-controlled media presented as isolated incidents. Post 9/11, it is the subject of pseudo-scientific study to limit freedom of speech by promoting the idea that the holders of such opinions are inclined to violence and deserve to have their civil liberties removed, in particular by subjecting them to internet censorship.
Overlords Apologize, Will reset Simulation to 2015. #Comedy
Snoop Dogg Says 'I'm Good', Holds Breath For 10 Seconds With No Coughing Amid Coronavirus Concern (msn)
The rapper put out his "P. S. A." on Instagram and held his breath for 10 seconds to prove that he is healthy. Unfortunately, holding one's breath is NOT A TEST for the Coronavirus but his message for everyone to "stay safe" came across. The artist then proceeded to hold his breath. "No coughing," Snoop triumphantly declared after his exhale. I mean... we already knew he had strong lungs because he smokes like a chimney.
Which Tech Bro Is Fleeing Coronavirus On This ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Plane? (hufpo, 2020)
"If the pandemic does come, [Sam] Altman’s backup plan is to fly with his friend Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist, to Thiel’s house in New Zealand." - NewYorker, 2016
Why Silicon Valley billionaires are prepping for the apocalypse in New Zealand (Guardian, 2018)
How an extreme libertarian tract predicting the collapse of liberal democracies – written by Jacob Rees-Mogg’s father – inspired the likes of Peter Thiel to buy up property across the Pacific
Democratic Party's donkey symbol replaced by a rat in Google search (Mashable)
A Google spokesperson suggested that if only the Democratic Party had taken the time to claim its Knowledge Panel then we wouldn't be in this mess. "Most images in Knowledge Panels are automatically generated from pages on the web," wrote the spokesperson over email. "When errors are reported, we fix them quickly. We encourage people and organizations to claim their Knowledge Panels, which allows them to select a representative image."
Social media giants warn of AI moderation errors as coronavirus empties offices (Reuters)
Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter warned on Monday that more videos and other content could be erroneously removed for policy violations, as the companies empty offices and rely on automated takedown software during the coronavirus pandemic. In a blog post, Google said that to reduce the need for people to come into offices, YouTube and other business divisions are temporarily relying more on artificial intelligence and automated tools to find problematic content.
“Governments don't want a population capable of critical thinking, they want obedient workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively accept their situation.” ― George Carlin
Monkey selfie copyright dispute
The monkey selfie copyright dispute is a series of disputes about the copyright status of selfies taken by Celebes crested macaques using equipment belonging to the British nature photographer David Slater. The disputes involve Wikimedia Commons and the blog Techdirt, which have hosted the images following their publication in newspapers in July 2011 over Slater's objections that he holds the copyright, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who have argued that the macaque should be assigned the copyright.
Snake oil is a euphemism for deceptive marketing. Many 19th-century US and European entrepreneurs advertised and sold mineral oil as "snake oil liniment", making frivolous claims about its efficacy as a panacea. Fat extracted from the Chinese water snake has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is a common medication prescribed by doctors.