Society's ChildS


Bullseye

A long lockdown will be catastrophic for developed nations - but a 'biblical' disaster for the developing world

Rob Lyons
RT
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:55 UTC
indian villagers
© REUTERS / Danish Siddiqui
The looming deep and probably long-lasting global recession caused by the shutting down of our economies will hurt us all - but it will be much, much worse for those already living on the brink of starvation.

A report by the UN World Food Program (WFP), published earlier this week, paints a depressing view of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The report suggests the number of people facing severe food shortages - on the brink of starvation - could double over the next 12 months, from 130 million to 265 million. The head of the WFP, David Beasley, has described the possible famines as 'biblical.' Those debating lockdowns in the West should bear in mind the world's poor before demanding that restrictions should stay in place.

The WFP's chief economist, Dr Arif Husain, told the media: "Covid-19 is potentially catastrophic for millions who are already hanging by a thread. It is a hammer blow for millions more who can only eat if they earn a wage. Lockdowns and global economic recession have already decimated their nest eggs. It only takes one more shock - like Covid-19 - to push them over the edge. We must collectively act now to mitigate the impact of this global catastrophe."
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Stop

Twitter to block 'harmful' 5G tweets due to coronavirus


Yahoo! News
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:32 UTC
Twitter
© AFP/Denis Charlet
Twitter is taking down comments inciting "harmful activity," specifically calls to destroy wireless equipment stemming from a conspiracy theory that linked 5G to the coronavirus.

"We have broadened our guidance on unverified claims that incite people to engage in harmful activity, could lead to the destruction or damage of critical 5G infrastructure, or could lead to widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder," the Twitter safety team said on Wednesday.

The move follows social media calls that have resulted in attacks on 5G towers in some European countries.

Twitter's update is the latest in an effort by social media platforms to curb rampant misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.


Comment: It's more likely that Twitter is using the alleged pandemic to control the flow of truthful information to people about the dangers of 5G.


Comment: See also:

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Handcuffs

Idaho woman arrested at playground for being 'anti-vaxxer', sparking protest

Jessica Calmer
The Washington Times
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 00:00 UTC

Comment: You can see what they're attempting to do now. Anyone who is against the lockdown is to be socially ostracized as an 'anti-vaxxer'.


Sara Brady Idaho woman covid arrest
© CBS2 screenshotSara Brady, 40, was arrested while protesting the closure of a Meridian, Idaho, playground due to the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, sparking an even bigger demonstration that ended at City Hall that evening.
An Idaho woman was arrested while protesting the closure of a Meridian playground on Tuesday, sparking an even bigger demonstration that ended at City Hall that evening.

Sara Brady, 40, was arrested after attending a planned protest at Meridian's Julius M. Memorial Kleiner Park, where parents were encouraged to bring their children to call for the reopening of the playground, which was cordoned off from the rest of the park due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a 45-minute video posted on the Idaho Freedom Foundation's Facebook page, which has since been deleted, Ms. Brady and others were seen arguing with Meridian police officers about the constitutionality of shutting down the playgrounds, The Idaho Press reported.

Comment: See also:

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Gold Coins

'Tables turned': Investors who dismissed gold as 'useless pet rock' now see it as asset during coronavirus crisis - Max Keiser


RT
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 14:27 UTC
gold
© Reuters / Mariya Gordeyeva
It is "ironic" that gold, once dismissed as a useless liability by many top economists and investors, is "now considered an asset" as its price surges amid the Covid-19 crisis, former Wall Street stockbroker Max Keiser told RT.

Bank of America analysts said Wednesday that the precious metal could hit $3,000 per ounce in 18 months as economic outputs contract sharply. With fiat currencies coming under pressure, "investors will aim for gold," the bank said, in a report titled "The Fed can't print gold."

For years, high-profile bankers and investors insisted that "uncollateralized, paper fiat money is great because you can print trillions of it without consequences" to boost the economy and stock market, Keiser, who hosts the Keiser Report on RT, explained.
Gold, they said, was a useless 'pet rock' you dig out of a hole and store in a vault. Now the tables have turned.
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Red Flag

US weekly unemployment hits 4.4 million, bringing coronavirus lockdown total to more than 26 million


RT
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:09 UTC
police
© Reuters / Carlos BarriaPolice officers ask a man to leave beach for precaution due to coronavirus spread, in Miami Beach, Florida
The US Labor Department said on Thursday that unemployment has continued to rise at a historically unprecedented pace. Another 4.4 million applications filed last week has brought the total in the past five weeks to 26.4 million.

The new claims figure, for the week ending April 18, shows a decline of 810,000 applications from the previous week's 5.2 million. However, the total number for the five-week period is greater than all the 23.3 million jobs created in the US since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

While economists expect the figure to steadily decline going forward, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Tuesday that his state had 1,000 staff "just to take the incoming unemployment calls. That's how high the volume is. And they still can't keep up."

Comment: Keep in mind, the actual number of unemployed Americans is likely far higher than 26 million. How long before the masses get restless and start rising up against the leaders who they blame for their situation?

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Bizarro Earth

Gunman's Snapchat footage shows him randomly shooting at streets below in Kent, UK


RT
Wed, 22 Apr 2020 10:07 UTC
uk gunman roof
© Snapchat
Armed police have been deployed to an apartment building in Chatham in Kent after a man began firing indiscriminately at the streets below. Police were called to the scene at approximately 8:30am local time on Wednesday morning. According to local reports, residents claimed the man was armed with multiple guns and had been randomly shooting at people. There are no reports of injuries or fatalities so far.

Footage from the man's Snapchat shows him in his apartment with numerous guns and dozens of rounds of ammunition. He can be seen firing one of the weapons inside his home before then shooting indiscriminately from his balcony.

Speaking into the camera the man can be heard saying: "Tell them Tupac Shakur coming for the cops".
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Megaphone

'The establishment is happy again': UK media fawning over new Labour leader incites fiery backlash from Corbynites


RT
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 16:04 UTC
Starmer
© AFP / PRU; Former / AFP / Paul Ellis(L) Labour leader Keir Starmer (R) Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
UK mainstream media heaped praise on the new Labour leader Keir Starmer after his first appearance at PMQs, claiming that the country finally had an official opposition - and incurring the wrath of Jeremy Corbyn supporters.

Social media was awash with supportive tweets from high-profile British media figures on Wednesday, after Starmer and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab - deputizing for PM Boris Johnson - traded blows during the first session of Prime Minister's Questions in the UK's 'hybrid' parliament. The House of Commons has been modified to allow the majority of MPs to participate via video link.

London Evening Standard editor and former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne - the architect of the damaging austerity program implemented by David Cameron's Tory government between 2010 and 2016 - took to Twitter to claim that "after a 5 year absence, Britain has an opposition again."

Comment: See also:

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Dollars

Why is there a shortage of dollars in the world despite the Fed's massive injections?

Daniel Lacalle
Mises Brasil
Wed, 15 Apr 2020 06:42 UTC
dollar
In response to the economic collapse caused by the general confinement imposed by state governments as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve (the American Central Bank) announced an injection of more than $ 2 trillion into the American economy .

But the dollar remains strong against other currencies in the world - as can be seen from the high value of the DXY index , which compares the US currency to the euro, the yen, the pound sterling, the Canadian dollar, the Swedish krona and the Swiss franc.

So the question is inevitable: how can the Fed launch a program of virtually unlimited monetary stimulus, and the dollar index still remain strong?

Shortages amid abundance

The answer lies in the growing global scarcity of the dollar, something that should serve as a lesson for monetary alchemists around the world, who swear that it is possible to do in other Central Banks (mainly in developing countries) what the Fed is doing.

First of all, it is worth remembering that gold once again reached the historic highs that had only been reached in 2011 , which proves that monetary inflation is in fact already turning into asset inflation. However, it is a fact that the dollar remains strong against other currencies in the world, which requires explanations.
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Yellow Vest

Social distance enforcement fail: Skate park California officials filled with sand to discourage boarders taken over by dirt bikers

Greg Norman
Fox News
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 02:20 UTC
california skate park sand social distancing
© Benny/Twitter
California officials who closed a popular skate park and filled it with 37 tons of sand in hopes of keeping residents away during the coronavirus outbreak have inadvertently turned the recreational site into a dirt biker's paradise.

A video posted on Instagram this week shows riders catching air at Ralph's Skate Court in San Clemente despite the city's effort to enforce social distancing.

"The fact the city put the sand in there to try to social distance everyone - I think it's a big joke," Connor Ericsson, who posted the video, told KUSI News. "These kids are cooped up inside their houses, they just want to go to the skate park and have some fun."

Another video on his account shows locals shoveling up the sand and placing it into buckets.
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Sheriff

Cops AGAINST masks: Houston police union says they won't enforce 'IDIOTIC' order mandating face covered for everyone over 10


RT
Thu, 23 Apr 2020 02:14 UTC
Houston Police Officers Union
© Facebook/HPOUHouston Police Officers Union
Harris County, Texas officials may learn the hard way the wisdom of never issuing an order they know will not be obeyed, as the Houston police union signaled it would exercise discretion in enforcing their face mask mandate.

Starting Monday, every resident of the third-largest county in the US will be subject to a fine if they are caught in public without some kind of face covering, county executive Judge Lina Hidalgo announced on Wednesday. The mandate applies to everyone over the age of 10 and will last at least 30 days, and maybe longer.

Hidalgo went even further and said that "acceptable" coverings include a "homemade mask, scarf, bandana or handkerchief" but not N-95 respirators or medical masks, as those are needed by health workers.

"This is about personal responsibility," she told reporters, adding that while the police will have discretion just as with enforcing her stay-at-home orders, there will be a fine of up to $1,000 with the goal of "getting residents to comply."
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