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5 lessons we can all learn from the coronavirus crisis

Sometimes the best way to make changes is when you're in the middle of a challenging time.

Photo by Erin Clark for The Boston Globe via Getty Images
  • While no one knows the future, implementing lifestyle changes now can prepare you for returning to a post-coronavirus society.
  • Boredom has long been a powerful catalyst for creativity and should not be viewed in the negative.
  • Spending more time in the kitchen, walking, and being more thoughtful online can be practiced right now.
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Face mask sales are up 319% as Americans ignore CDC calls to stop hoarding them

Hospitals are running out of critical face masks as civilians are panic-buying medical supplies en masse amidst the coronavirus global pandemic.

Photo by Jonathan Klein / Getty Images
  • Sales of medical masks are up by a whopping 319% as civilians hoard medical supplies to prepare for the coronavirus outbreak.
  • The CDC and WHO are urging the public not to buy and wear the masks as some hospitals are now in danger of running out of critical respirator masks.
  • At this point, coronavirus has infected at least 1,000 Americans and more than 115,800 people around the world.
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America’s largest public library ditches late fees

With the realization that overdue charges disproportionately affect access for low-income readers, libraries are reconsidering the value of fees.

Image source: Kunal Mehta/Shutterstock
  • The Chicago Public Library found that a third of their economically disadvantaged members had been denied borrowing privileges due to overdue books.
  • Overdue fines account for a tiny fraction of library funding, so the ramifications of ending them are more social than financial.
  • Though 92% of U.S. libraries still charge late fees, the number is shrinking.
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A world map of private islands (some are a steal!)

There's something special about islands - in some cases, it's the price tag

Image: TD Architects
  • In fiction or reality, islands exert a special attraction on the imagination
  • For the ultra-rich, owning an island is the ultimate luxury
  • However, some islands are affordable even with a modest budget
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Why Germany is a blank spot on Google's Street View

There are good historical reasons why Germans are suspicious of surveillance — but is Google as bad as Gestapo or Stasi?

Image: Google Maps
  • Since its launch in 2007, Google Street View has mapped millions of miles of roads across the world — and even gone to space and into the ocean.
  • Germany and Austria are a conspicuous gap in the mess of blue lines that covers the rest of Europe.
  • It's to do with Germans' curious sense of privacy: they'd rather flaunt their private parts than their personal data.
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