Cities of Strangers: Making Lives in Medieval Europe - Book Review

https://www.amazon.in/Cities-Strangers-Making-Medieval-Lectures/dp/1108740537

Cities of Strangers illuminates life in European towns and cities as it was for the settled, and the 'strangers' or newcomers who joined them between 1000 and 1500. Some city-states enjoyed considerable autonomy which enabled them to legislate how newcomers could settle down and become citizens in support of a common good. Such communities invited bankers, merchants, doctors, notaries, and judges to settle down and help bring about good urban living. Immigration was also shaped by dynastic rulers, who often invited groups from afar to settle down and help their cities flourish.
There was a great deal of difference between cities-language, religion, occupation-in shared spaces, regulated by law. But when the plague began to occur regularly in European cities around 1350, this benign cycle began to break down. High mortality rates eventually led to demographic crises and, as a result, less tolerant and more authoritarian attitudes emerged, resulting in violent expulsions of even long-established groups.
Tracing the development of urban institutions and using a wide range of sources from across Europe, Miri Rubin recreates a complex picture of urban life for settled and migrant communities over the course of five centuries and provides an innovative viewpoint with insights into Europe's past.
Examining how 'foreigners'-settling newcomers as well as settled ethnic and religious minorities-were treated in urban communities between 1000 and 1500, Cities of Strangers is exploring pathways to citizenship and arrangements for those who are unlikely to become citizens during a period of urban growth and its aftermath in medieval Europe.
'Miri Rubin takes us deeply into the practices of inclusion and exclusion in medieval cities across Europe, in Cities of Strangers. Introducing us into the variety of newcomers who have sustained urban life, she also shows us how the taint of strangeness has marked long-domiciled groups of Jews and even native-born women. Her compelling narrative reminds us how needy the migrants are at our gates and how universal our quest to belong is.

Google-parent Alphabet pledging $800 million in response to the coronavirus crisis

On Friday, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) would donate over $800 million in funds to manufacture medical supplies used to counter COVID-19 and in ad credits to government and health organizations and businesses.

The company is collaborating with Magid Glove and Protection to manufacture 2 million to 3 million face masks and will financially help efforts to improve manufacturing potential for life-saving medical devices and personal protective equipment, Pichai said.

The massive epidemic, which killed nearly thousands of people worldwide, has overwhelmed healthcare systems around the world and contributed to a shortage of medical equipment, including face masks and ventilators.

The company will offer $340 million in Google Ad Credits to small and medium-sized companies operating on its website, and $250 million in Ad Grants to the World Health Organization and other government agencies, Pichai said in a blog post.

Source: https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-alphabet/google-parent-alphabet-to-donate-800-million-in-response-to-coronavirus-crisis-idINKBN21F05J

Apps that need to be on your phone while you're traveling

Smartphones really have opened up a new world for us as far as travel is concerned. As long as there's a signal, you can access information that you wouldn't have been able to access a decade ago. So, when you take your smartphone while you're on the road, what apps do you need? With so many apps on the market, it could be overwhelming trying to make a choice.

Splittr
Traveling around with friends? For you Splittr is the app. This app splits your commuting costs and bills between different entities and keeps track of who paid what for you. It will also convert the currency so that you don't have to do any mental acrobatics when breaking a bill into another currency.

Google Translate
Whether you're more of a fan of Google, you should stick with Google Translate to understand your needs for flying. As with the regular design of Google, the software is easy to use and removes any learning curve that could have influenced you. This app is very helpful with signs, allowing you to hold your camera to a sign and it will read the sign for you, making it look like you're reading the sign in reality.

Speak & Translate
If you're going to another country and don't speak the language, a translation app is really required. It is important to be able to understand what people are saying, but also to be able to ask for help and to read signs. It is much more difficult to move to a place that uses a different alphabet so getting something handy that can help you out can take away a lot of tension.

Packpoint
Essentially, this app is a computer organiser. This will build a packing list for you and make sure you pack everything you need before you set off for your next adventure. The app also monitors the weather to keep you running on time, as well as your daily schedule. The app will ask what you're doing and will let you know which things you need to pack depending on what you're doing.

Uber
Uber is not accessible anywhere, so this app will only function in cities where it's accessible. Uber is much like a taxi, but with frequent drivers who are not really experienced drivers. The fares are typically better than the taxis, so you can get where you need to go when you need to get there.

Hotel Tonight
This is a helpful feature you need if you don't know where you're going to stay for the night. The app is searching for last minute offers and will find available hotels where you need them. There's always a fantastic customer service around the clock if you're in a bind. If you have a layout between flights, this app is especially useful.

XE Currency
This is the best place you can go to to convert your currency. It's very frustrating trying to mentally quantify how much currency you need when you're on the road. And when you look at the exchange rate, you're so used to living in your home currency that actual value can be hard to understand. Using a currency app will help keep things transparent so that you can grasp the currency variations.

Citymapper
Citymapper works better than any other travel planning software as it helps you to schedule your journeys, including flights, tours, and any other travel details you'd like to keep track of.

WHO warned: Countries that hurry to lift restrictions face 'serious and prolonged' economic harm

Countries that hurry to remove quarantine restrictions intended to contain coronavirus pandemics are at risk of much worse economic harm, says the World Health Organization.
Countries that hurry to remove quarantine restrictions designed to contain the coronavirus pandemic face a "much more serious and prolonged" economic downturn and re-emergence of COVID-19 cases, cautioned World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday.
"We are all aware of the profound social and economic ramifications of the pandemic," Tedros said during a briefing at the headquarters of the Organization in Geneva. "Ultimately, the only way for countries to put an end to sanctions and reduce their economic burden is to kill the virus."
On Friday, Tedros called on countries to support their citizens by increasing social welfare services, shifting financial barriers and ensuring that public health interventions are "full-funded." "If people postpone treatment or neglect it because they can not afford it, they not only damage themselves, they make the pandemic more difficult to manage and put society at risk," he said. "This is an unprecedented situation that demands an unprecedented response."
WHO officials said on Monday that government lockdowns are not enough to control the coronavirus outbreak. However, given their effect on the economy and society, they are important. Without them, the coronavirus will kill more people.
"It is serious about it. It is a dangerous virus, people will get through it, countries will get through it, "said Dr. Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Program.
World leaders need to develop their public health programs "if we get out of an endless loop of economically crippling locks and shutdowns," Ryan said. "We need to get back to be able to monitor this virus, live with this virus, create vaccines that we need to eventually eliminate this virus."
WHO officials have said coronavirus is having an effect on the war against other infectious diseases such as polio.
"In recent years, we've pushed polio to the verge of eradication," Tedros said Friday. Most health workers are now endorsing the COVID-19 plan, causing polio vaccines to be temporarily stopped in some cases, he said.