ansible
ansible's JournalLandlords taking advantage of current crisis soliciting sex in exchange for rent, advocates say
Some landlords are taking advantage of the coronavirus outbreak, soliciting sexual favors in lieu of rent payments from economically vulnerable tenants, according to advocates.
Khara Jabola-Carolus, executive director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, said her office has received more reports of landlords sexually harassing their tenants in the last two weeks than it had in the two years since she started working there, including cases of landlords offering to move in with tenants and sending sexually explicit photos to them after they communicated concerns about paying April rent.
While the number of cases wasn't necessarily astronomical — the commission received 10 reports about nine landlords — Jabola-Carolus said they were especially notable given such cases go "vastly underreported."
"Landlord coercion has always been a reality, but we've never seen anything like this," Jabola-Carolus said. "The coronavirus creates the perfect conditions for landlords who want to do this because not only are people being instructed to stay home, but the virus has added to the economic stress with people losing their jobs, especially in Hawaii, which is driven by tourism."
Around 5 million more people filed first-time unemployment claims last week, bringing the total of unemployed Americans to nearly 22 million. While some states have enacted eviction and rent moratoriums, experts caution that these policies may not be enough to keep low- and middle- income renters in their homes. Only 69 percent of apartment tenants had paid their monthly rent by April 5, down from 81 percent the previous month, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/landlords-soliciting-sex-exchange-rent-214103708.html
Youtube has hundreds of movies for free available now
I think it's even more than Netflix. Some of the movies aren't free though, but most are free with ads.
https://www.youtube.com/feed/storefront?bp=kgEmCGQSIlBMSFBUeFR4dEMwaWJWWnJUMl9XS1dVbDJTQXhzS3VLd3iiBQIoAg%3D%3D&app=desktop
Las Vegas mayor begging for city to be reopened, looks like they're screwed for good now
They're utterly screwed, with no tourism revenue coming it at all their city no longer has any sustainable income.
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called the statewide shutdown one of "total insanity" during a city council meeting Wednesday morning, and she urged the governor to allow the state to reopen.
"This is truly an opportunity for having a bully pulpit as your mayor," began Goodman, "and I am going to take advantage of that before we begin our public comment."
The mayor challenged Gov. Steve Sisolak's directive to close nonessential businesses during the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to minimize its spread, saying there is "no data" to support why the city is shutdown and there is "no plan in place" for navigating through it or coming out of it.
Experts, she says, tell her the coronavirus is not going away any time soon. Goodman compared it to the common flu and other viruses.
"This virus, or a derivative thereof, will be part of what we work through going forward," she said.
https://www.ktnv.com/news/coronavirus/mayor-goodman-this-shutdown-has-become-one-of-total-insanity
Newsom: California unemployment hours extended; $125M fund for undocumented immigrants
Source: ktvu
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he has extended the unemployment call center hours to help the record 2.7 million Californians who have filed claims and created a fund to help undocumented immigrants, who comprise 10% of the state's workforce.
The Employment Development Department's call center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, rather than closing at noon Monday through Friday. Newsom extended the hours through an executive order.
Undocumented immigrants will be eligible to tap into a $125 million relief fund as they navigate through the economic upheaval unleashed by coronavirus outbreak, Newsom announced. The $2 trillion federal stimulus package did not include aid to undocumented workers.
To staff the expanded EDD hotline, Newsom said he has redeployed 600 employees for a total of 1,340 at the EDD, who will now answer phone calls and help Californians receive their unemployment checks. He took a moment to say a special thanks to all those employees who worked on Easter Sunday.
Read more: https://www.ktvu.com/news/newsom-california-unemployment-hours-extended-125m-fund-for-undocumented-immigrants
Oh for f's sake, people thanking Trump for the stimulus act on twitter!
Just look at twitter right now, ridiculous amounts of praise from people thanking Trump for giving them money! No wonder why Trump was so adamant to push for his name to be printed on the checks, the stupidity of the average american voter can't be underestimated!
Applications no-fee debit card with up to $1,500 for Los Angeles families in need begins Tuesday
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a campaign Monday to help impoverished Angelenos who may be facing at least one more month of lost income.
The plan is designed to offer a no-fee debit card, dubbed the Angeleno Card, to residents who were beneath the federal poverty line before the COVID-19 crisis began and who had their income reduced by at least another 50% due to the outbreak.
The cards will come with $700, $1,100 or $1,500, depending on the size and income of each household, a news release stated.
All households must be within the city of Los Angeles.
Applications must be filled out between 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and 4:30 p.m. Thursday at hcidla.lacity.org, or by calling 213-252-3040.
Undocumented Angelenos are eligible to apply, according to the release.
The program is a partnership between Mastercard and the nonprofit Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles.
Recipients may be randomly selected depending on the demand for the cards.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/applications-for-the-angeleno-card-a-no-fee-debit-card-with-up-to-1500-for-families-in-need-begins-tuesday/
Bill Maher defends calling coronavirus 'Chinese virus,' blames China
HBO's Bill Maher on Friday defended calling the novel coronavirus the "Chinese virus," arguing that "pretty liberal" scientists have been "naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time."
The remarks from the "Real Time" host come after President Trump had repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the "Chinese virus," but stopped doing so late last month.
“Scientists, who are generally pretty liberal, have been naming diseases after the places they came from for a very long time,” Maher said Friday night while broadcasting his weekly show from his home in California.
“Zika is from the Zika Forest. Ebola from the Ebola River. Hantavirus, the Hantan River. There’s the West Nile Virus and Guinea worm and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and of course the Spanish flu.”
“MERS stands for Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome,” the host continued. “It’s plastered all over airports and no one blogs about it. So, why should China get a pass?
Maher proceeded to respond to a tweet by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who criticized Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for calling coronavirus "the Wuhan virus" on March 8.
“No, that would be way stupider because it didn’t come from Milan,” said Maher. “And if it did, I guarantee we’d be calling it the Milan Virus. Jesus f---ing Christ. Can’t we even have a pandemic without getting offended? When they named Lyme disease after a town in Connecticut the locals didn’t get all ticked off?”
“This is about facts. It’s about life and death. We’re barely four months into this pandemic and the wet markets in China — the ones where exotic animals are sold and consumed — are already starting to reopen," he later added.
"Sorry Americans, we're going to have to ask you to keep two ideas in your head at the same time: This has nothing to do with Asian Americans and it has everything to do with China," Maher concluded. "We can't afford the luxury anymore of non-judginess towards a country with habits that kill millions of people everywhere. Because this isn't the first time. SARS came from China. And the bird flu. And the Hong Kong flu. The Asian flu. Viruses come from China just like shortstops come from the Dominican Republic. If they were selling nuclear suitcases at these wet markets, would we be so non-judgmental?"
https://thehill.com/homenews/media/492340-bill-maher-defends-calling-coronavirus-chinese-virus-mocks-ted-lieu
Police Raid Church's Drive-In Service, Issue $500 Tickets to Entire Congregation
Police in Greenville, Mississippi raided the parking lot of Temple Baptist Church during a drive-in prayer service and issued $500 fines to everyone in attendance – including many elderly congregants.
Pastor Arthur Scott told the Todd Starnes Radio Show that he was astonished by the actions of the police department and the mayor’s office.
“One of the police officers said the mayor wanted to make an example of our church,” the pastor said. “I told them to get some more tickets ready because we will be preaching Sunday morning and Sunday night.”
“We’ve been doing it for three weeks,” he said.
But Mayor Errick Simmons and the city council that banned churches from hosting drive-in services.
The City of Greenville put in place an Executive Order that orders all church buildings closed for in person and drive in church services, until the State of Mississippi’s Shelter In Place Executive Order No. 1466 is lifted by Governor Tate Reeves. Churches are strongly encouraged to hold services via Facebook Live, Zoom, Free Conference Call, and any and all other social media, streaming, and telephonic platforms,” the order read.
Scott, who has pastored the small church for 45 years, said that most of the congregation is elderly and they don’t have access to smartphones.
So church leaders decided to rig up a radio frequency where congregants could sit in their cars and listen as the pastor delivered the message from the pulpit. In other words, the church was in compliance with social distancing rules.
“The police officer said I might go to jail,” the elderly pastor said on the radio show. “If it means going to jail and if it takes that for me to keep preaching, I’ll be glad to go to jail.”
The pastor said as many as 25 cars were in the parking lot for the service and everyone was ticketed.
Video shows police officers disrupting the service by knocking on the doors of every car. Church members were ordered to turn over their driver’s licenses. They were then issued a fine and a court summons.
“I just can’t believe it,” the pastor told me. “I tried to talk to the mayor. I’ve been here 45 years and I’ve never been to the city council. I’ve never complained. I’ve never stirred up a stink. But I told him I’m going to fight them on this.”
https://www.toddstarnes.com/faith/watch-police-raid-churchs-drive-in-service-issue-500-tickets-to-entire-congregation/
Coronavirus: China reports no Covid-19 deaths for first time
Source: bbc
China reported no coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, the first time since it started publishing daily figures in January. The National Health Commission said it had 32 confirmed cases, down from 39 on Monday. It comes as the government is under scrutiny as to whether it is underreporting its figures.
The government says more than 3,331 people have died and 81,740 have been confirmed as infected. All of the confirmed cases on Tuesday had arrived from overseas. China is concerned a second wave of infections could be brought in by foreign arrivals. It has already shut its border to foreigners including those with visas or residence permits.
International flights have been reduced with both Chinese and foreign airlines only allowed to operate one international flight a week. Flights must not be more than 75% full. On Wednesday, Wuhan is set to allow people to leave the city for the first time since the lockdown began in January. Officials say anyone who has a "green" code on a widely used smartphone health app will be allowed to leave the city.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52195034
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