Category Archives: human rights

A Feature on Zoom Secretly Displayed Data From People’s LinkedIn Profiles – The New York Times

After an inquiry from Times reporters, Zoom said it would disable a data-mining feature that could be used to snoop on participants during meetings without their knowledge.

Florida governor: sick passengers on cruise ship cannot be ‘dumped’ here | US news | The Guardian

Four people have died on coronavirus-stricken Zaandam liner and health of passengers and crew has worsened in past week

Source: Florida governor: sick passengers on cruise ship cannot be ‘dumped’ here | US news | The Guardian

June 4, 1939:  Jewish refugee ship turned away from Florida coast http://www.floridahistorynetwork.com/june-4-1939—jewish-refugee-ship-turned-away-from-florida-coast.html

So on June 4, 1939, the MS St. Louis anchored four miles off Miami Beach and was sighted by the Coast Guard, which immediately dispatched boats to the ship, as recounted in the Miami Daily News.

“Soon after the arrival of the coast guard craft the St. Louis hoisted anchor and put to sea, accompanied by the guard detail,” the story said. “The coast guard patrol boat C-244, out of Fort Lauderdale, stood by the ship as it slanted down the coast, barely making way, to prevent any possibility of attempts of refugees to jump off and swim ashore.”

A Coast Guard crewman told of running in close to the ship. “‘It doesn’t seem possible that so many people could crowd aboard one ship,'” he said.

Two days later, the St. Louis was heading north — and back to Europe. It did not return to Germany. Jewish organizations negotiated with four European nations to accept the passengers. Great Britain took 288, but the other 620 were taken by France, Belgium and the Netherlands

Opinion | Covid-19 Brings Out All the Usual Zombies – The New York Times

The bottom line is that as with so many things Trump, the awfulness of the man in the White House isn’t the whole story behind terrible policy. Yes, he’s ignorant, incompetent, vindictive and utterly lacking in empathy. But his failures on pandemic policy owe as much to the nature of the movement he serves as they do to his personal inadequacies.

Coronavirus: Who cares about stocks when people are dying? | Business| Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 27.03.2020

All of a sudden, it is the things you cannot buy that become worthy of envy. The old woman happily sunning herself on her balcony. The bopping shadow of a father carrying his newborn around in a sling at night. The sound of the family next door laughing over a game of Monopoly. And you never knew your neighbor could play the piano so beautifully! Domestic contentment has acquired the credentials of a currency. What other insights can we garner from this disaster? That there is a correlation between populist leaders and the time taken to accept reality. The extra days and weeks Trump, Johnson et al needed to bust the myth of their own exceptionalism have already cost lives. Meanwhile, as countries including the United States rush to introduce the biggest economic stimulus packages in their history, it is worth considering that if small government offers no cure in a pandemic, it may not be the healthiest option in ordinary times either. In the weeks and months ahead, normality will return to one country at a time. Goods will once again roll off assembly lines. Shops will reopen. The rat race will resume. But maybe, just maybe, if we take this opportunity for self-reflection, thi

Source: Coronavirus: Who cares about stocks when people are dying? | Business| Economy and finance news from a German perspective | DW | 27.03.2020

Trump’s narcissism has taken a new twist. And now he has American blood on his hands | Jonathan Freedland | Opinion | The Guardian

The US president always was capricious and vengeful, but now that character flaw is a matter of life and death. State governors are crying out for federal help, not for themselves but for the people they represent: the nurses and doctors who need protective equipment and testing kits, the patients who need ventilators. But instead of leaping to their aid, Trump tells the governors it’s their responsibility, even though they have a fraction of the procurement power of the US government – adding that if they want help, they’d better grovel. “It’s a two-way street,” Trump said this week. “They have to treat us well.” Even when lives are on the line, his ego with its paper-thin skin comes first. Americans are paying the price for his lack of foresight, his closure of a pandemic task force for no better reason than it was established by Barack Obama – he hates anything with his predecessor’s name on it – and his failure to heed the warnings of a pandemic preparedness exercise, codenamed Crimson Contagion, that identified glaring gaps as recently as last October.

Source: Trump’s narcissism has taken a new twist. And now he has American blood on his hands | Jonathan Freedland | Opinion | The Guardian

NEW REALITIES FROM SOMEONE VERY BLESSED – Jane Fonda

Okay, so let’s start with the superficial: My fingernails are getting so long I can hardly type. But they are acrylic and I can’t cut them. Ideas? I’m growing a beard. I’m caught up on “Better Things” (the best!) and “Homeland.” I’ve watched the 4 new episodes of the as- yet un-streamed “Grace & Frankie” and they’re hysterical. My hair needs cutting. Fortunately I’m all gray now so that part’s cool. I’m also super busy with the soon-to-be (this Friday) virtual Fire Drill Friday with Senator Markey. In case you’re interested, and I hope you are, here’s what we should support for the virus relief bailout. Please blast this out to your networks, and amplify on social media using #PeoplesBailout : Five Principles of Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus The COVID-19 pandemic demands swift and unprecedented action from the federal government. The depth of the crisis and the scope of the response mean that choices being made right now will shape our society for years, if not decades to come. As policymakers take steps to ensure immediate relief and long-term recovery, it is imperative that they consider the interrelated crises of wealth inequality, racism, and ecological decline, which were

Source: NEW REALITIES FROM SOMEONE VERY BLESSED – Jane Fonda