COVID AND WORLD EVENTS from April Newsletter


As you may have noticed, there's some pretty strange stuff happening.  For a start, check this out, a self-reorganisation of the US states: 

‘Speaking on MSNBC, Governor Gavin Newsom said that he would use the bulk purchasing power of California “as a nation-state” to acquire the hospital supplies that the federal government has failed to provide. If all goes according to plan, Newsom said, California might even “export some of those supplies to states in need.” 
He said 'nation state'; that's maybe a sign of things to come. Other regional coalitions are forming too. 
UBI: Guy Standing writing for The Idler:
'A modest basic income is definitely affordable. Think of the billions being poured into the financial markets. Think of the fact that every year the Treasury operates over 1,100 forms of tax reliefs that favour higher-income groups to the tune of over £400 billion, according to the government’s own figures. As shown elsewhere, there is no need to raise the standard rate of income tax in order to pay everyone at least £100 a week. That is not enough to cover people’s needs, but it would make a substantial difference to those on low incomes and facing those debts.'
Ramsey Dukes speaks on Technology versus Coronavirus  - how solutions might be found in the most despised technologies.

Some older technologies may be paying off. The idea of testing already-approved drugs against Covid in order to find a cure rather than a vaccine is getting results in some unlikely places - such as an anti-heartburn medicine.   

And nicotine...  

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