npr--2020-02-10--An Art Critic Was Mocking A $20,000 Work She Didn't Like — Then It Shattered

An Art Critic Was Mocking A $ 20,000 Work She Did n't Like — Then It Shattered When a work of art is broken , is it destroyed — or transformed ?
That 's perhaps a generous question that one art critic is posing after a dramatic incident Saturday at the Zona Maco contemporary art fair in Mexico City .
One of the works on display was a large sculpture by Mexican artist Gabriel Rico .
The piece involved a large sheet of glass with objects suspended through it , including a soccer ball , a tennis ball , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Rico , who is based in Guadalajara , Mexico , `` creates pieces that fragment the composition of the contemporary human and evidence the geometric imperfection in nature .
... Rico 's sculptural works reflect on the nature of the materials used to produce them and their arrangement in the final composition , '' according to a preview of the exhibit from his gallery .
An art critic named Avelina Lésper was at the fair , and she was decidedly unimpressed with the piece .
As a critical commentary , she says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coca-Cola on the floor next to the work to convey that the meaning of the art would remain the same if the can were incorporated .
What happened next is in dispute .
The gallery OMR , which represents Rico , says Lésper got `` too close to the work to put a can of soda on it and take a picture , '' in order to make a statement — and the piece shattered .
But Lésper told the newspaper Milenio that as she moved the can near the artwork , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pieces had heard my commentary . ''
It could have happened to anyone , she says , including a collector or museum .
The artist Pavel Égüez says that he was with Lésper at the time and that her account is accurate — that the glass was too thin and exploded suddenly .
Lésper is reportedly well-known for her antipathy for contemporary art .
But she says she 's sorry about what happened to the work .
`` I did n't do it intentionally .
I did n't destroy it .
I did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ touch it . ''
Following the collapse , Lésper met with someone from the gallery and offered to replace the glass .
The gallerist then informed her that Rico 's piece is worth $ 20,000 .
Rico expressed sadness at the turn of events .
`` I am sad because this was very disrespectful for the pieces , '' he said in a statement .
`` This is a regrettable situation . ''
OMR says the incident `` seems to have been accidental and it 's irrelevant how it happened . ''
Nonetheless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email , the critic 's action `` shows a great lack of respect and professionalism on the part of Ms. Lésper , who as a member of the art community should be a better example to visitors on the etiquette of attending an art event and the respect of art objects .
Never should a visitor to an art event touch or make an intervention in a work of art , subjecting it to possible damage . ''
`` We do not understand how an alleged professional art critic destroyed a work by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the moment , '' it said .
In the video in which she defends herself , Lésper suggests an idea for the shattered piece : Leave it that way .
She points to a work by the surrealist Marcel Duchamp , The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors , Even ( The Large Glass ) , which also features large panes of glass .
Duchamp worked at the piece for years , before declaring the work `` definitively unfinished '' in 1923 .
While in transit following an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Duchamp glued it back together , then set it between new panes and placed it within an aluminum frame .
The Philadelphia Museum of Art , which houses the piece , says the work has subsequently `` become the subject of extensive scholarship , and the object of pilgrimages for countless visitors drawn to its witty , intelligent , and vastly liberating redefinition of what a work of art can be . ''
OMR says it is consulting with Rico and the fair 's organizers about how to proceed .
`` This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` This is something that can be fixed . ''

An Art Critic Was Mocking A $20,000 Work She Didn't Like — Then It Shattered
Enlarge this image toggle caption OMR OMR
When a work of art is broken, is it destroyed — or transformed?
That's perhaps a generous question that one art critic is posing after a dramatic incident Saturday at the Zona Maco contemporary art fair in Mexico City.
One of the works on display was a large sculpture by Mexican artist Gabriel Rico. The piece involved a large sheet of glass with objects suspended through it, including a soccer ball, a tennis ball, a stick, a feather and a rock.
Rico, who is based in Guadalajara, Mexico, "creates pieces that fragment the composition of the contemporary human and evidence the geometric imperfection in nature. ... Rico's sculptural works reflect on the nature of the materials used to produce them and their arrangement in the final composition," according to a preview of the exhibit from his gallery.
An art critic named Avelina Lésper was at the fair, and she was decidedly unimpressed with the piece. As a critical commentary, she says, she set an empty can of Coca-Cola on the floor next to the work to convey that the meaning of the art would remain the same if the can were incorporated.
What happened next is in dispute.
The gallery OMR, which represents Rico, says Lésper got "too close to the work to put a can of soda on it and take a picture," in order to make a statement — and the piece shattered.
But Lésper told the newspaper Milenio that as she moved the can near the artwork, it shattered suddenly, "as if the pieces had heard my commentary." It could have happened to anyone, she says, including a collector or museum.
The artist Pavel Égüez says that he was with Lésper at the time and that her account is accurate — that the glass was too thin and exploded suddenly.
Lésper is reportedly well-known for her antipathy for contemporary art. But she says she's sorry about what happened to the work. "I didn't do it intentionally. I didn't destroy it. I didn't hurt it. I didn't touch it."
Following the collapse, Lésper met with someone from the gallery and offered to replace the glass. The gallerist then informed her that Rico's piece is worth $20,000.
Rico expressed sadness at the turn of events. "I am sad because this was very disrespectful for the pieces," he said in a statement. "This is a regrettable situation."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Giovanni Emmanuel/OMR Giovanni Emmanuel/OMR
OMR says the incident "seems to have been accidental and it's irrelevant how it happened." Nonetheless, the gallery told NPR in an email, the critic's action "shows a great lack of respect and professionalism on the part of Ms. Lésper, who as a member of the art community should be a better example to visitors on the etiquette of attending an art event and the respect of art objects. Never should a visitor to an art event touch or make an intervention in a work of art, subjecting it to possible damage."
"We do not understand how an alleged professional art critic destroyed a work by one of the most outstanding artists of the moment," it said.
In the video in which she defends herself, Lésper suggests an idea for the shattered piece: Leave it that way.
She points to a work by the surrealist Marcel Duchamp, The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass), which also features large panes of glass. Duchamp worked at the piece for years, before declaring the work "definitively unfinished" in 1923.
While in transit following an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 1926-1927, the piece shattered. Duchamp glued it back together, then set it between new panes and placed it within an aluminum frame. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, which houses the piece, says the work has subsequently "become the subject of extensive scholarship, and the object of pilgrimages for countless visitors drawn to its witty, intelligent, and vastly liberating redefinition of what a work of art can be."
OMR says it is consulting with Rico and the fair's organizers about how to proceed.
"This is not a tragedy," argues Lésper. "This is something that can be fixed."


npr--2020-02-10--3 Big Takeaways From Sinn Fein's Stunning Surge In Ireland

Sinn Fein has pulled off a stunning result in Ireland .
The outsider party , perhaps best known for its historical links with the militant Irish Republican Army , surged in the country 's general elections over the weekend .
Its candidates vastly outpaced expectations by winning about 24.5 % of the first-preference votes to fill the 160 seats of the Dáil Éireann , Ireland 's lower house of parliament .
That represents more than each of its two biggest competitors .
Fine Gael , led by Prime Minister Leo Varadkar , got just under 21 % of first-preference votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 % .
With more than three-quarters of parliamentary seats allocated by Monday evening local time , Sinn Fein held a substantial lead over its rivals .
That does not mean the left-wing Irish nationalist party will walk away with control over the government .
No single party is likely to even come close to the 80 seats necessary for a majority , and the leaders of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail — including Varadkar — have previously ruled out a coalition with Sinn Fein , citing the party 's policies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of The Troubles .
So the split vote portends a political muddle far more than it represents a rout — but the results nonetheless mark a shocking win for Sinn Fein that will have major consequences for Ireland .
Here are a few reasons why .
Two center-right parties , Fine Gael and Fianna Fail , have enjoyed a virtual stranglehold on Irish politics since the country gained independence from Britain roughly a century ago .
Since the enactment of Ireland 's constitution in 1937 , every Irish prime minister , or taoiseach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major parties .
It 's unclear whether Varadkar 's position will be endangered by the political wrangling to come .
Regardless of how that shakes out , plenty of Irish voters registered their desire to shake up what had effectively become a two-party system .
`` Irish people now want an alternative party for government .
This is n't a protest vote , '' Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told France 24 .
`` This is an expression of deep dissatisfaction with the traditional big two parties here . ''
`` Ideally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a government that is entirely new , without the two big parties , '' she added , noting that Sinn Fein had begun coalition talks with other small parties , such as the Greens and Social Democrats .
Varadkar himself acknowledged that the weekend was a watershed of sorts for Irish politics .
`` It seems now that we have a three-party system — three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes , the same number of seats , '' the prime minister told reporters Sunday .
`` And that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difficult . ''
2 .
All is not well at home On the surface — or at least to observers abroad — Varadkar had plenty of reason to feel confident as voters headed to the polls .
Ireland 's youngest-ever prime minister , and its first to openly identify as gay , Varadkar successfully campaigned for the repeal of the country 's longtime abortion ban and has more than held his own in the bruising Brexit negotiations with Ireland 's U.K. neighbors .
Yet for all the glowing headlines these wins have earned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was still plenty of domestic discontent over two issues that hit much closer to home for Irish voters : housing costs and health care .
The numbers alone can tell the story : • Dublin has the highest cost of living of any city in the Eurozone , according to a report last year by the Mercer consulting firm • The average rent across Ireland rose every quarter for a streak that lasted more than seven years before recently being snapped • Nearly every month last year , Irish government statistics showed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were homeless .
As for health care , hospitals in Ireland have grown so overcrowded that — according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation — it has become an `` intolerable situation for vulnerable patients and frontline workers alike . ''
`` Nobody should have to endure this in a modern health service , '' said the organization 's general secretary , Phil Ní Sheaghdha .
`` People find it a bit galling , I think , to hear this talk of a fantastic economy and how we 've turned it around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streets , see their children moving back home because they ca n't afford to rent or to get on the property market , '' reporter Jennifer Bray of the Irish Times explained Saturday on Weekend Edition .
Part of Sinn Fein 's success this weekend came from convincing voters that , in McDonald 's words , the left-wing alternative to the two major parties could be a `` vehicle for change '' on matters more pressing than Brexit .
3 .
The past may be past Sinn Fein 's surge shocked observers not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ireland , but also for what fostered that outsider status in the first place : the party 's historical connections with the IRA .
The paramilitary organization , which tried to achieve Irish unification by violent means , was a key player in the decades-long sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles .
More than 3,500 people died in the violence .
The Good Friday peace deal of 1998 ended the violence with a power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland .
Today , Sinn Fein nationalists share the regional government there with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the peace , bad memories linger on both sides of the border , and Sinn Fein continues to carry the baggage of its historical association with the IRA .
Hence the reluctance of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leaders to even work with the party — though Micheál Martin , leader of Fianna Fail , appears to be relenting in his opposition since the election .
But among voters , it appears that baggage has become lighter with time .
Sinn Fein turned to McDonald as the new face of the party in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under her predecessor , and campaigned on issues such as housing prices and health care rather than stressing its push for a united Ireland , the group 's foundational policy issue .
The shift appeared to make a difference for younger voters , many of whom might not personally remember the Troubles .
Exit polls published Saturday showed that Sinn Fein was far and away the most popular party among voters under the age of 34 .
`` It 's not very complicated , '' said Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire , a Sinn Fein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There 's a whole generation of people out there who feel locked out of the possibility of ever having their own home . ''
`` And I think , '' he added , `` that our policies , our vision for housing , our ambition for housing has clearly connected with young people . ''

3 Big Takeaways From Sinn Fein's Stunning Surge In Ireland
Enlarge this image toggle caption Peter Morrison/AP Peter Morrison/AP
Sinn Fein has pulled off a stunning result in Ireland.
The outsider party, perhaps best known for its historical links with the militant Irish Republican Army, surged in the country's general elections over the weekend. Its candidates vastly outpaced expectations by winning about 24.5% of the first-preference votes to fill the 160 seats of the Dáil Éireann, Ireland's lower house of parliament.
That represents more than each of its two biggest competitors. Fine Gael, led by Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, got just under 21% of first-preference votes, while Fianna Fail won just over 22%. With more than three-quarters of parliamentary seats allocated by Monday evening local time, Sinn Fein held a substantial lead over its rivals.
That does not mean the left-wing Irish nationalist party will walk away with control over the government. No single party is likely to even come close to the 80 seats necessary for a majority, and the leaders of both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail — including Varadkar — have previously ruled out a coalition with Sinn Fein, citing the party's policies and its controversial historical connections with the violence of The Troubles.
So the split vote portends a political muddle far more than it represents a rout — but the results nonetheless mark a shocking win for Sinn Fein that will have major consequences for Ireland.
Here are a few reasons why.
1. The duopoly shows cracks
Two center-right parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, have enjoyed a virtual stranglehold on Irish politics since the country gained independence from Britain roughly a century ago. Since the enactment of Ireland's constitution in 1937, every Irish prime minister, or taoiseach, has represented one of the two major parties.
It's unclear whether Varadkar's position will be endangered by the political wrangling to come. Regardless of how that shakes out, plenty of Irish voters registered their desire to shake up what had effectively become a two-party system.
"Irish people now want an alternative party for government. This isn't a protest vote," Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told France 24. "This is an expression of deep dissatisfaction with the traditional big two parties here."
"Ideally, I'd like us to form a government that is entirely new, without the two big parties," she added, noting that Sinn Fein had begun coalition talks with other small parties, such as the Greens and Social Democrats.
Varadkar himself acknowledged that the weekend was a watershed of sorts for Irish politics.
"It seems now that we have a three-party system — three parties all getting roughly the same number of votes, the same number of seats," the prime minister told reporters Sunday. "And that is going to make forming a government quite difficult."
2. All is not well at home
On the surface — or at least to observers abroad — Varadkar had plenty of reason to feel confident as voters headed to the polls. Ireland's youngest-ever prime minister, and its first to openly identify as gay, Varadkar successfully campaigned for the repeal of the country's longtime abortion ban and has more than held his own in the bruising Brexit negotiations with Ireland's U.K. neighbors.
Yet for all the glowing headlines these wins have earned him beyond Ireland's borders, there was still plenty of domestic discontent over two issues that hit much closer to home for Irish voters: housing costs and health care.
The numbers alone can tell the story:
Dublin has the highest cost of living of any city in the Eurozone, according to a report last year by the Mercer consulting firm
The average rent across Ireland rose every quarter for a streak that lasted more than seven years before recently being snapped
Nearly every month last year, Irish government statistics showed that more than 10,000 people across the country were homeless.
As for health care, hospitals in Ireland have grown so overcrowded that — according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation — it has become an "intolerable situation for vulnerable patients and frontline workers alike."
"Nobody should have to endure this in a modern health service," said the organization's general secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
"People find it a bit galling, I think, to hear this talk of a fantastic economy and how we've turned it around but then see homeless people on the streets, see their children moving back home because they can't afford to rent or to get on the property market," reporter Jennifer Bray of the Irish Times explained Saturday on Weekend Edition.
Part of Sinn Fein's success this weekend came from convincing voters that, in McDonald's words, the left-wing alternative to the two major parties could be a "vehicle for change" on matters more pressing than Brexit.
3. The past may be past
Sinn Fein's surge shocked observers not just for its present outsider status in Ireland, but also for what fostered that outsider status in the first place: the party's historical connections with the IRA.
The paramilitary organization, which tried to achieve Irish unification by violent means, was a key player in the decades-long sectarian bloodshed in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. More than 3,500 people died in the violence.
The Good Friday peace deal of 1998 ended the violence with a power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland. Today, Sinn Fein nationalists share the regional government there with the pro-U.K. Democratic Unionist Party.
Despite the peace, bad memories linger on both sides of the border, and Sinn Fein continues to carry the baggage of its historical association with the IRA. Hence the reluctance of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail leaders to even work with the party — though Micheál Martin, leader of Fianna Fail, appears to be relenting in his opposition since the election.
But among voters, it appears that baggage has become lighter with time.
Sinn Fein turned to McDonald as the new face of the party in 2018, moving on after 35 years under her predecessor, and campaigned on issues such as housing prices and health care rather than stressing its push for a united Ireland, the group's foundational policy issue.
The shift appeared to make a difference for younger voters, many of whom might not personally remember the Troubles. Exit polls published Saturday showed that Sinn Fein was far and away the most popular party among voters under the age of 34.
"It's not very complicated," said Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, a Sinn Fein member who won election Sunday. "There's a whole generation of people out there who feel locked out of the possibility of ever having their own home."
"And I think," he added, "that our policies, our vision for housing, our ambition for housing has clearly connected with young people."


npr--2020-02-10--Merkel's Succession Plan Falls Apart As Her Protégée Bows Out

Merkel 's Succession Plan Falls Apart As Her Protégée Bows Out Angela Merkel 's handpicked successor says that she will not seek Germany 's chancellorship , casting into uncertainty the future of the Christian Democratic Union , Germany 's most dominant political party .
`` With the aim of making the CDU stronger , I have today , after extended reflection , informed the party board and leadership team : I will not seek to become a candidate for the office of German Chancellor , '' party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , 57 , announced Monday , according to Deutsche-Welle .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ regard this decision with great respect , though I greatly regret it . ''
`` I can imagine this was n't an easy decision for her and I thank her for being prepared to stay on to steer the process of choosing a successor , '' said the longtime chancellor , whose her current term will be her last .
Kramp-Karrenbauer 's decision follows a period of unrest within the Christian Democratic Union .
Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected party leader in December 2018 — and was widely believed to be Merkel 's preferred candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publicly endorse her .
But `` AKK , '' as she is often known , has since had trouble uniting its many disparate factions .
Those tensions came to a head last week .
`` Last week , in the German state of Thuringia , a local faction of her party joined the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party — known as the AfD — to elect the state 's first minister , breaking with the party 's aversion to working with the AfD , a party many in Germany label fascist , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The breakaway went against Kramp-Karrenbauer 's explicit wishes as well as a post-WWII norm that major parties avoid cooperating with the far-right .
`` The AfD stands against everything we as the CDU represent , '' Kramp-Karrenbauer said Monday , according to The Associated Press .
`` Any convergence with AfD weakens the CDU . ''
AfD is vocally anti-immigrant .
In recent years , some CDU voters have cast votes for that party instead , particularly in light of Merkel 's 2015 decision to welcome asylum seekers into Germany When she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out Merkel 's rival Friedrich Merz , As NPR 's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reported at the time , Kramp-Karrenbauer `` has a long road ahead to persuade German voters and the greater European Union that she can be as stabilizing and powerful a chancellor as Merkel . ''
Now , Merz is seen as a possible successor , along with Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn and CDU premier of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet , among others .
Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently Germany 's defense minister and reportedly wants to remain in the position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in my view , no effect on the stability of the government coalition , '' Kramp-Karrenbauer said Monday .
`` I was and I am leader of the party , and will remain in that role for the foreseeable future .
I have decided for myself that I wo n't run for chancellor .
Other than that , nothing has changed so far . ''
Kramp-Karrenbauer also has endured several scandals during her time as party leader , including a notorious incident in which she poked fun at the idea of gender-neutral bathrooms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Merkel's Succession Plan Falls Apart As Her Protégée Bows Out
Enlarge this image toggle caption Markus Schreiber/AP Markus Schreiber/AP
Angela Merkel's handpicked successor says that she will not seek Germany's chancellorship, casting into uncertainty the future of the Christian Democratic Union, Germany's most dominant political party.
"With the aim of making the CDU stronger, I have today, after extended reflection, informed the party board and leadership team: I will not seek to become a candidate for the office of German Chancellor," party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, 57, announced Monday, according to Deutsche-Welle.
Merkel later told reporters, "I regard this decision with great respect, though I greatly regret it."
"I can imagine this wasn't an easy decision for her and I thank her for being prepared to stay on to steer the process of choosing a successor," said the longtime chancellor, whose her current term will be her last.
Kramp-Karrenbauer's decision follows a period of unrest within the Christian Democratic Union.
Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected party leader in December 2018 — and was widely believed to be Merkel's preferred candidate, even though the chancellor didn't publicly endorse her. But "AKK," as she is often known, has since had trouble uniting its many disparate factions. Those tensions came to a head last week.
"Last week, in the German state of Thuringia, a local faction of her party joined the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party — known as the AfD — to elect the state's first minister, breaking with the party's aversion to working with the AfD, a party many in Germany label fascist," NPR's Rob Schmitz reported from Berlin.
The breakaway went against Kramp-Karrenbauer's explicit wishes as well as a post-WWII norm that major parties avoid cooperating with the far-right.
"The AfD stands against everything we as the CDU represent," Kramp-Karrenbauer said Monday, according to The Associated Press. "Any convergence with AfD weakens the CDU."
AfD is vocally anti-immigrant. In recent years, some CDU voters have cast votes for that party instead, particularly in light of Merkel's 2015 decision to welcome asylum seekers into Germany
When she became party leader, Kramp-Karrenbauer narrowly beat out Merkel's rival Friedrich Merz, As NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reported at the time, Kramp-Karrenbauer "has a long road ahead to persuade German voters and the greater European Union that she can be as stabilizing and powerful a chancellor as Merkel."
Now, Merz is seen as a possible successor, along with Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn and CDU premier of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet, among others. Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently Germany's defense minister and reportedly wants to remain in the position.
"This decision will have, in my view, no effect on the stability of the government coalition," Kramp-Karrenbauer said Monday. "I was and I am leader of the party, and will remain in that role for the foreseeable future. I have decided for myself that I won't run for chancellor. Other than that, nothing has changed so far."
Kramp-Karrenbauer also has endured several scandals during her time as party leader, including a notorious incident in which she poked fun at the idea of gender-neutral bathrooms during a speech at a carnival celebration.


npr--2020-02-10--An Oscar Goes To A Documentary About Skateboarding Girls In Afghanistan

An Oscar Goes To A Documentary About Skateboarding Girls In Afghanistan The girls clutch their skateboards , biting their lips and fiddling with the wheels .
They 're learning how to make tight little turns around traffic cones , and the tension is palpable .
It could be summer camp in anywhere U.S.A. , but these girls are wearing headscarves under large helmets , they 're dressed in long , modest clothes and the skateboarding arena is tucked behind high walls in the Afghan capital Kabul – for the girls ' own safety .
The girls are the subject of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a Warzone ( If You 're a Girl ) , and it just won an Oscar for best documentary short subject at the 92nd annual Academy Awards .
`` This movie is my love letter to the brave girls of that country , '' said the documentary 's director , Carol Dysinger , as she accepted the award alongside producer Elena Andreicheva .
`` They teach girls courage , to raise your hand , to say I am here , I have something to say and I 'm going to take that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me . ''
It is a rare win for a film involving Afghans after years of nominations , including for last year 's `` The Breadwinner , '' an animated film produced by Angelina Jolie , which tells the story of a little girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can support her family under Taliban rule .
Learning to Skateboard is a heartwarming – and heartbreaking – look into the lives of girls in a country considered to be one of the worst places in the world to be born @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has its own skate park and is run by a charity called Skateistan ( skateboarding + stan , get it ? )
.
The 398 students , ages 5 to 17 , are both male and female ; 41 % of them are girls .
Boys and girls attend classes on separate days .
The students are taught to believe in themselves through education — and learning how to skate .
The documentary focuses on the female students , visually underscoring the world they live in by taking viewers down a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in and stare , but there 's not a woman to be seen .
The documentary than enters the inner world of the Skateistan school .
The first lesson we see them attend is literally , on courage .
The girls are encouraged to define the word .
Reading books is courage , one girl pipes up .
Going to school , says another .
The girls in the film attend a `` Back-to-School '' program with 3 hours of daily educational instruction , aiming to get kids who are n't in formal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , along with regular skate sessions .
The girls sit before a camera and talk about their lives .
One says she sold gum on the streets before she was scouted to join the Skateistan school — there 's a community educator who encourages girls and their families to participate .
Another student says she sold tea .
In a city of car bombings , kidnappings and violence against women unprotected by powerful men , these little girls are already unlikely survivors .
To see them wobbling on skateboards is wrenching : You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how to stand up , how to glide .
In one hold-your-breath moment , their teacher , an Afghan woman with rolled-up sleeves , gets four girls to lie down on the ground .
She speeds down a ramp and flies through the air over them .
But the limits of the girls ' freedom through skateboarding is clear .
One tells the camera , `` I do n't want to grow up , so I can skate forever . ''
The charity , Skateistan , began when an Australian skater , Oliver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who was working in Kabul in 2008 .
He began teaching street kids how to skateboard , and the project developed from there , says the group 's communications manager , Jessica Faulkner .
Now Skateistan , which is supported by donations , has four skate schools , two in Afghanistan , one in South Africa and another in Cambodia .
`` What we try to do is give children a place where they feel safe , where they can express themselves and explore their own interests , '' says Faulkner .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ skateboarding , which helps them to build their resilience , their kind of goal setting , their determination and have a whole lot of fun at the same time . ''
In 2013 , Skateistan won the UNICEF Education through Sport award .
Faulkner says the film emerged from a long connection between the charity and the production company , Grain Media .
The documentary crew was all-female to ensure the schoolgirls — and their parents — were comfortable .
The film does not show the location of the school , and Skateistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school , citing security concerns .
The Oscar is a welcome surprise .
Last week , the documentary won a BAFTA – a British Academy Film Award -- '' and then we sort of started having conversations like – this actually could win an Oscar , '' says Faulkner .
She says the girls at the school had not heard of the Oscars before , but `` they 're very excited that a lot of people are seeing [ the film ] and seeing their lives . ''
As for the teachers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all just completely delighted , '' Faulkner says .
`` It 's amazing to be able to tell the story of our students in Afghanistan in such a powerful and beautiful way .
And obviously it raises awareness about what we do .
So that 's just as fantastic . ''

An Oscar Goes To A Documentary About Skateboarding Girls In Afghanistan
Enlarge this image toggle caption A&E IndieFilms/ Screenshot by NPR A&E IndieFilms/ Screenshot by NPR
The girls clutch their skateboards, biting their lips and fiddling with the wheels. They're learning how to make tight little turns around traffic cones, and the tension is palpable. It could be summer camp in anywhere U.S.A., but these girls are wearing headscarves under large helmets, they're dressed in long, modest clothes and the skateboarding arena is tucked behind high walls in the Afghan capital Kabul – for the girls' own safety.
The girls are the subject of a tender documentary, Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl), and it just won an Oscar for best documentary short subject at the 92nd annual Academy Awards.
"This movie is my love letter to the brave girls of that country," said the documentary's director, Carol Dysinger, as she accepted the award alongside producer Elena Andreicheva. "They teach girls courage, to raise your hand, to say I am here, I have something to say and I'm going to take that ramp, don't try to stop me."
It is a rare win for a film involving Afghans after years of nominations, including for last year's "The Breadwinner," an animated film produced by Angelina Jolie, which tells the story of a little girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can support her family under Taliban rule.
Learning to Skateboard is a heartwarming – and heartbreaking – look into the lives of girls in a country considered to be one of the worst places in the world to be born female. It revolves around the school, which has its own skate park and is run by a charity called Skateistan (skateboarding + stan, get it?). The 398 students, ages 5 to 17, are both male and female; 41% of them are girls. Boys and girls attend classes on separate days.
The students are taught to believe in themselves through education — and learning how to skate.
The documentary focuses on the female students, visually underscoring the world they live in by taking viewers down a battered street in Kabul. Men lean in and stare, but there's not a woman to be seen. The documentary than enters the inner world of the Skateistan school. The first lesson we see them attend is literally, on courage. The girls are encouraged to define the word. Reading books is courage, one girl pipes up. Going to school, says another.
The girls in the film attend a "Back-to-School" program with 3 hours of daily educational instruction, aiming to get kids who aren't in formal education ready to enroll in public school, along with regular skate sessions.
The girls sit before a camera and talk about their lives. One says she sold gum on the streets before she was scouted to join the Skateistan school — there's a community educator who encourages girls and their families to participate. Another student says she sold tea.
In a city of car bombings, kidnappings and violence against women unprotected by powerful men, these little girls are already unlikely survivors. To see them wobbling on skateboards is wrenching: You want them to figure this out, how to stand up, how to glide.
In one hold-your-breath moment, their teacher, an Afghan woman with rolled-up sleeves, gets four girls to lie down on the ground. She speeds down a ramp and flies through the air over them. But the limits of the girls' freedom through skateboarding is clear. One tells the camera, "I don't want to grow up, so I can skate forever."
The charity, Skateistan, began when an Australian skater, Oliver Percovich joined his girlfriend at the time, who was working in Kabul in 2008. He began teaching street kids how to skateboard, and the project developed from there, says the group's communications manager, Jessica Faulkner.
Now Skateistan, which is supported by donations, has four skate schools, two in Afghanistan, one in South Africa and another in Cambodia. "What we try to do is give children a place where they feel safe, where they can express themselves and explore their own interests," says Faulkner. "And we couple that with the skateboarding, which helps them to build their resilience, their kind of goal setting, their determination and have a whole lot of fun at the same time."
In 2013, Skateistan won the UNICEF Education through Sport award.
Faulkner says the film emerged from a long connection between the charity and the production company, Grain Media. The documentary crew was all-female to ensure the schoolgirls — and their parents — were comfortable. The film does not show the location of the school, and Skateistan declined to allow media to visit the school, citing security concerns.
The Oscar is a welcome surprise. Last week, the documentary won a BAFTA – a British Academy Film Award --"and then we sort of started having conversations like – this actually could win an Oscar," says Faulkner. She says the girls at the school had not heard of the Oscars before, but "they're very excited that a lot of people are seeing [the film] and seeing their lives."
As for the teachers and other Skateistan staff: "We are all just completely delighted," Faulkner says. "It's amazing to be able to tell the story of our students in Afghanistan in such a powerful and beautiful way. And obviously it raises awareness about what we do. So that's just as fantastic."


npr--2020-02-10--Chinese Hackers Charged In Alleged Cyber-Theft Of 145 Million Americans' Data

The Justice Department announced charges Monday against four members of the Chinese military for allegedly hacking the credit bureau Equifax in 2017 and stealing the personal information of around 145 million Americans .
In an indictment handed up by a grand jury in Atlanta , the men face nine counts including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to commit economic espionage .
Attorney General William Barr , who announced the charges , called it the latest example of what he said was a sweeping campaign by China 's government to steal seemingly endless amounts of data from the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hack fits a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of state-sponsored computer intrusions and thefts by China and its citizens that have targeted personally identifiable information , trade secrets and other confidential information , '' Barr said .
Equifax , which is based in Atlanta , compiles information on millions of Americans as part of the loan and finance system .
Last year , it agreed to pay up to $ 700 million in fines and monetary relief to consumers .
The four men who have been charged are members of the 54th Research Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the indictment .
The defendants illegally accessed Equifax 's network through a vulnerability in the company 's online dispute portal , prosecutors say .
Once inside the system , they vacuumed up names , birth dates and social security numbers for 145 million Americans — nearly half of all Americans .
They stole credit card numbers and other information for some 200,000 Americans as well as Equifax trade secrets , the indictment says .
`` For years , we have witnessed China 's voracious appetite for the personal data of Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Office of Personnel Management , the intrusion into Marriott Hotels and Anthem health insurance companies , and now the wholesale theft of credit and other information from Equifax , '' Barr said .
`` This data has economic value , '' he added , `` and these thefts can feed China 's development of artificial intelligence tools , as well as the creation of intelligence targeting packages . ''
The FBI 's deputy director , David Bowdich , said there 's no indication at this point that the stolen information has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government officials .
Prosecutors say the hackers tried to cover their tracks to avoid detection by routing their work through around 34 servers located in nearly 20 countries .
The charges announced on Monday are the latest against Chinese or China-linked defendants in a string of Justice Department prosecutions , part of what Barr and other officials call a huge wave of espionage activity , including economic , directed at the U.S. Equifax CEO Mark Begor said in a statement on Monday that his company has tried to keep pace with cybersecurity but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by China would test any company or other target .
`` Combating this challenge from well-financed nation-state actors that operate outside the rule of law is increasingly difficult , '' he said .
`` Fighting this cyberwar will require the type of open cooperation and partnership between government , law enforcement and private business that we have experienced firsthand . ''
Sen. Ben Sasse , R-Neb.
, called on the government to do more along these lines because , he said , `` warning lights are still flashing red , '' alluding to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ networks .
`` The Chinese Communist Party will leave no stone unturned in its effort to steal and exploit American data , '' Sasse said .
`` These indictments are good news , but we 've got to do more to protect Americans ' data from Chinese Communist Party influence operations . ''

Chinese Hackers Charged In Alleged Cyber-Theft Of 145 Million Americans' Data
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Updated at 12:50 p.m. ET
The Justice Department announced charges Monday against four members of the Chinese military for allegedly hacking the credit bureau Equifax in 2017 and stealing the personal information of around 145 million Americans.
In an indictment handed up by a grand jury in Atlanta, the men face nine counts including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to commit economic espionage.
Attorney General William Barr, who announced the charges, called it the latest example of what he said was a sweeping campaign by China's government to steal seemingly endless amounts of data from the United States.
National Security Harvard Chemistry Professor Arrested And Accused Of Lying About Ties To China Harvard Chemistry Professor Arrested And Accused Of Lying About Ties To China Listen · 3:56 3:56
"Unfortunately, the Equifax hack fits a disturbing and unacceptable pattern of state-sponsored computer intrusions and thefts by China and its citizens that have targeted personally identifiable information, trade secrets and other confidential information," Barr said.
Equifax, which is based in Atlanta, compiles information on millions of Americans as part of the loan and finance system. Last year, it agreed to pay up to $700 million in fines and monetary relief to consumers.
The four men who have been charged are members of the 54th Research Institute of the People's Liberation Army, according to the indictment.
Cyber scheme
The defendants illegally accessed Equifax's network through a vulnerability in the company's online dispute portal, prosecutors say.
Once inside the system, they vacuumed up names, birth dates and social security numbers for 145 million Americans — nearly half of all Americans. They stole credit card numbers and other information for some 200,000 Americans as well as Equifax trade secrets, the indictment says.
"For years, we have witnessed China's voracious appetite for the personal data of Americans, including the theft of personnel records from the Office of Personnel Management, the intrusion into Marriott Hotels and Anthem health insurance companies, and now the wholesale theft of credit and other information from Equifax," Barr said.
Law DOJ's Attempts To Fight Chinese Espionage Get Little Attention DOJ's Attempts To Fight Chinese Espionage Get Little Attention Listen · 4:11 4:11
"This data has economic value," he added, "and these thefts can feed China's development of artificial intelligence tools, as well as the creation of intelligence targeting packages."
The FBI's deputy director, David Bowdich, said there's no indication at this point that the stolen information has been used, including to target U.S. government officials.
Prosecutors say the hackers tried to cover their tracks to avoid detection by routing their work through around 34 servers located in nearly 20 countries.
Cyberwar
The charges announced on Monday are the latest against Chinese or China-linked defendants in a string of Justice Department prosecutions, part of what Barr and other officials call a huge wave of espionage activity, including economic, directed at the U.S.
Equifax CEO Mark Begor said in a statement on Monday that his company has tried to keep pace with cybersecurity but the sophistication of threats like that posed by China would test any company or other target.
"Combating this challenge from well-financed nation-state actors that operate outside the rule of law is increasingly difficult," he said. "Fighting this cyberwar will require the type of open cooperation and partnership between government, law enforcement and private business that we have experienced firsthand."
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., called on the government to do more along these lines because, he said, "warning lights are still flashing red," alluding to earlier big compromises of official and private-sector networks.
"The Chinese Communist Party will leave no stone unturned in its effort to steal and exploit American data," Sasse said. "These indictments are good news, but we've got to do more to protect Americans' data from Chinese Communist Party influence operations."


npr--2020-02-10--Amazon Wants Trump To Testify About Military Contract Awarded To Microsoft

Amazon Wants Trump To Testify About Military Contract Awarded To Microsoft Amazon wants President Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper to testify about a massive military tech contract that the company lost to Microsoft , according to court documents unsealed Monday .
Amazon has taken the Pentagon to court , alleging `` unmistakable bias '' on the government 's part in awarding to rival Microsoft the $ 10 billion cloud-computing contract , known as JEDI .
The contract award process had been mired by months of delays , investigations and controversy — at first over allegations of cozy relationships between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over Trump 's public criticism of the company , its role in the JEDI bidding and its CEO Jeff Bezos .
Bezos owns The Washington Post , whose news coverage Trump often criticizes .
Newly unsealed documents show Amazon Web Services , Amazon 's cloud arm , is seeking to depose Trump `` about conversations or other involvement he had regarding the JEDI bid process or efforts to harm Amazon or AWS . ''
The request acknowledges that deposing a sitting president `` presents unique circumstances . ''
Amazon is also requesting testimony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mattis , Defense Department Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy and other officials involved in the selecting of the contract winner , whose names were redacted .
The White House and the Justice Department declined to comment on Monday .
A Defense Department representative did not immediate respond to NPR 's inquiry .
The Pentagon had previously said the contract review evaluated all bidders fairly and consistently with the stated criteria .
In a statement on Monday , AWS maintained its allegation that Trump used the military budget to pursue his own ends .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ willingness to use his position as President and Commander in Chief to interfere with government functions — including federal procurements — to advance his personal agenda , '' the company said .
Amazon is challenging the Pentagon 's award of JEDI , for Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure , in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims .
The company had also sought to block Microsoft and the Pentagon from starting work on the contract while the litigation is ongoing , but the court has not yet ruled on that .
Amazon was stunned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Microsoft 's cloud business Azure has been a distant second in size to AWS , which also previously won a cloud contract with the CIA .
A former Pentagon official familiar with the JEDI deal previously told NPR that Microsoft 's bid `` hit the ball out of the park . ''
Editor 's Note : Amazon and Microsoft are among NPR 's recent financial supporters .

Amazon Wants Trump To Testify About Military Contract Awarded To Microsoft
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Updated at 1:05 p.m. ET
Amazon wants President Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper to testify about a massive military tech contract that the company lost to Microsoft, according to court documents unsealed Monday.
Amazon has taken the Pentagon to court, alleging "unmistakable bias" on the government's part in awarding to rival Microsoft the $10 billion cloud-computing contract, known as JEDI.
The contract award process had been mired by months of delays, investigations and controversy — at first over allegations of cozy relationships between Amazon and the Pentagon, and later over Trump's public criticism of the company, its role in the JEDI bidding and its CEO Jeff Bezos. Bezos owns The Washington Post, whose news coverage Trump often criticizes.
Newly unsealed documents show Amazon Web Services, Amazon's cloud arm, is seeking to depose Trump "about conversations or other involvement he had regarding the JEDI bid process or efforts to harm Amazon or AWS." The request acknowledges that deposing a sitting president "presents unique circumstances."
Amazon is also requesting testimony from Esper, former Defense Secretary James Mattis, Defense Department Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy and other officials involved in the selecting of the contract winner, whose names were redacted.
The White House and the Justice Department declined to comment on Monday. A Defense Department representative did not immediate respond to NPR's inquiry. The Pentagon had previously said the contract review evaluated all bidders fairly and consistently with the stated criteria.
In a statement on Monday, AWS maintained its allegation that Trump used the military budget to pursue his own ends. "President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to use his position as President and Commander in Chief to interfere with government functions — including federal procurements — to advance his personal agenda," the company said.
Amazon is challenging the Pentagon's award of JEDI, for Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The company had also sought to block Microsoft and the Pentagon from starting work on the contract while the litigation is ongoing, but the court has not yet ruled on that.
Amazon was stunned by its loss of the JEDI contract. Microsoft's cloud business Azure has been a distant second in size to AWS, which also previously won a cloud contract with the CIA. A former Pentagon official familiar with the JEDI deal previously told NPR that Microsoft's bid "hit the ball out of the park."
Editor's Note: Amazon and Microsoft are among NPR's recent financial supporters.
NPR researcher Sarah Knight contributed to this report.


npr--2020-02-10--Michael Pollan Explains Caffeine Cravings (And Why You Don't Have To Quit)

Michael Pollan Explains Caffeine Cravings ( And Why You Do n't Have To Quit ) After wrapping up his book about the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs , author Michael Pollan turned his attention to a drug that 's hidden `` in plain sight '' in many people 's lives : caffeine .
`` Here 's a drug we use every day .
... We never think about it as a drug or an addiction , but that 's exactly what it is , '' Pollan says .
`` I thought , 'Why not explore that relationship ? '
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , explores the science of caffeine addiction and withdrawal — and the broader impact that coffee and tea have had on the modern world .
Caffeine , he says , is a powerful drug that alters the brain in surprising ways .
`` There are studies that show that people 's both mental performance and athletic performance are improved by coffee , '' he says .
`` If you have a cup of coffee after you 've learned something or read a textbook chapter , you are more likely to test better on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was only when he quit caffeine cold turkey that Pollan fully appreciated the mental and psychological boost his morning cup of coffee had provided : `` I just could n't focus , '' he says .
`` I lost confidence .
The whole book seemed like a really stupid idea .
And loss of confidence is actually listed as one of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal . ''
Eventually the withdrawal symptoms subsided .
Pollan lasted three months without caffeine — during which time , he says , his quality of sleep improved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complete and he has returned to his daily caffeine fix .
`` I think the word 'addiction ' has a lot of moral baggage attached to it , '' he says .
`` As [ Johns Hopkins researcher ] Roland Griffiths told me , if you have a steady supply of something , you can afford it and it 's not interfering with your life , there 's nothing wrong with being addicted . ''
On his experience of giving up caffeine for three months The thing that really struck me was that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hyperactivity disorder ] .
I can focus pretty well .
I felt like , oh , this is what ADHD is like .
I ca n't keep stuff out of the peripheries .
The peripheral information and sense data keeps rushing in and getting in the way .
I felt like I was a horse that had taken its blinders off and suddenly I could see too many degrees of circumference .
So that was a real problem for working .
I really had trouble sitting and writing and staying still .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lift .
I think anyone who delays having their morning cup of coffee knows what I 'm talking about , but there was a kind of a sense of a veil or fog that had descended between me and reality .
I was just kind of muzzy headed , and that gradually lifted .
But I have to say , even weeks later , I felt like there was a little mental hitch between me and reality .
I felt as if this was n't my natural language — speaking in another language @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that smoothly .
...
I got over it eventually , and I wrote a big chunk of the piece without the influence of caffeine .
...
But it was an interesting three months .
I recommend it actually .
I think it 's a really interesting exercise .
On how going without caffeine improved his sleep It was amazing .
I was sleeping like a teenager again .
I would pop off and just sleep through the night — which I do n't do that often .
And I had some great sleeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compensating benefit of giving up caffeine .
... Caffeine is the enemy of good sleep .
...
It 's a problem in ways we do n't perceive , because caffeine undermines the quality — not necessarily the quantity , but the quality — of our sleep .
And specifically , one very particular kind of sleep , which I 'd never heard of before , called `` slow wave '' or deep sleep .
This is n't REM sleep , where you 're having dreams , or light sleep .
This is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that long a part of the night , but it 's really important to your mental and physical health .
It 's where these slow waves start radiating from the front of your brain into the back , and they kind of harmonize all the neurons , get them on the same page .
It 's where you kind of take memories from short-term working memory and put them in their proper place .
It 's like cleaning up the desktop on your computer at the end of the day .
Matt Walker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sleep , thinks that this is very important to our health to have sufficient amounts of deep sleep .
As we get older , we have less of it naturally .
And coffee or tea cuts into that , even if you stop drinking it , say , at noon , because caffeine has a very long half-life and quarter-life .
So , for example , the caffeine you ingest at noon — a quarter of it is still circulating in your bloodstream at midnight .
It 's still around .
And this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insidious effect it 's having on you .
It 's beginning when you wake up .
I mean , you have n't had coffee or tea since sometime the day before .
... All those people who tell you , `` I 'm not civil '' [ or ] `` I 'm not fit for human conversation until I have a cup of coffee '' — they 're beginning to go through that withdrawal .
They 're starting to feel a little off — that muzziness is coming in .
Maybe they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little irritable .
And then they have that cup of coffee , and the pleasure they 're getting from it , I learned , is not simply the lift , the euphoric lift of the drug .
It 's the suppression of the symptoms of withdrawal .
We go through that cycle .
One of the things you learn when you take a caffeine fast , as I did , is that the experience of caffeine is very different to a caffeine virgin or a restored caffeine virgin , as I was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addicted .
Those people [ who are addicted ] are getting a little bit of lift , but mostly what they 're getting is the relief from these symptoms that are about to come down on them .
And that feels pretty good .
You 're back to baseline .
But when you 're off for a few months , man , it 's something else .
It 's a very powerful drug experience .
And I was not prepared for it at all .
On how caffeine keeps us alert We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the course of the day , levels of it rise , and its job is to gradually make us tired — create what 's called sleep pressure .
So , eventually , we turn out the lights and go to sleep , [ and ] there is a receptor that the adenosine fits into .
And , as it turns out , caffeine fits into the same receptor — it gets there before the adenosine has a chance to .
So it essentially blocks the action of that neurotransmitter — you never get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eventually , though , the adenosine — it 's not like it goes away .
It keeps building up the level in your bloodstream , keeps building up , so that when the caffeine is finally metabolized and the receptors are available again — voom !
You get hit by a flood of adenosine , and you get really tired .
And what would you do then ?
Well , you 'd have another cup of coffee and start the cycle all over again .
... That 's what keeps us awake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it does also act on some other network , such as the dopamine network , and that 's part of what gives us the euphoria .
We have these circadian rhythms that organize and govern our lives — and they 're hard to break .
And I do n't know that you could ever have had a night shift or even a late shift before you had caffeine .
Caffeine really helps capitalism conquer the frontier of night .
And that 's why it was so important to the Industrial Revolution , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted to keep running all night and you moved to two and three shifts .
Did people work at night before that ?
Not very much .
That 's why I do think the impact on the modern world has been profound and that this has had a huge effect on our civilization and on ourselves .
To break those circadian rhythms is a huge deal .
How coffee and tea historically relied on slave labor There 's a really ugly history behind both of them .
[ On ] the early coffee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were slaves .
But even later , when you have post-slavery Central America , these were brutal places to work .
The thing about growing coffee and tea is you need a lot of labor , because the shrubs have to be pruned .
I went coffee picking in Colombia , and it 's really hard work .
It 's kind of a spiky plant , and it grows on such a steep hillside .
You ca n't get your footing .
...
It 's a very dark history .
And like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in these commodity chains , and we have no idea what 's behind it .
I mean , who among us has seen a coffee plant or a tea plant , except in photography ?
But at the other end of those food chains , it has often been quite a bit of brutality .
And , of course , coffee and tea drove demand for sugar , and sugar was at the very heart of the slave trade in the Caribbean .
On how climate change could affect coffee production It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's very picky .
It has to have exactly the right altitude , water ... all this kind of stuff , which is concerning now , because coffee faces a tremendous threat from climate change .
There is a narrow band of conditions that make coffee happy .
And the estimates now [ from ] the climate scientists — and this will be alarming to the fellow addicts out there — is that 50 % of the coffee-growing regions will not be able to support the coffee plant by 2050 .
So capitalism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate change undermines coffee production .
... We may look back and say we lived in this golden age of good coffee that lasted from 1966 to 2050 — and then it 'll be downhill from there .
Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview .
Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the Web .

Michael Pollan Explains Caffeine Cravings (And Why You Don't Have To Quit)
Enlarge this image toggle caption Abdulrhman Al Shidokhi/Getty Images Abdulrhman Al Shidokhi/Getty Images
After wrapping up his book about the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs, author Michael Pollan turned his attention to a drug that's hidden "in plain sight" in many people's lives: caffeine.
"Here's a drug we use every day. ... We never think about it as a drug or an addiction, but that's exactly what it is," Pollan says. "I thought, 'Why not explore that relationship?'"
Pollan's new audiobook, Caffeine, explores the science of caffeine addiction and withdrawal — and the broader impact that coffee and tea have had on the modern world. Caffeine, he says, is a powerful drug that alters the brain in surprising ways.
"There are studies that show that people's both mental performance and athletic performance are improved by coffee," he says. "If you have a cup of coffee after you've learned something or read a textbook chapter, you are more likely to test better on it the next day."
It was only when he quit caffeine cold turkey that Pollan fully appreciated the mental and psychological boost his morning cup of coffee had provided: "I just couldn't focus," he says. "I lost confidence. The whole book seemed like a really stupid idea. And loss of confidence is actually listed as one of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal."
Eventually the withdrawal symptoms subsided. Pollan lasted three months without caffeine — during which time, he says, his quality of sleep improved markedly. But now his research is complete and he has returned to his daily caffeine fix.
"I think the word 'addiction' has a lot of moral baggage attached to it," he says. "As [Johns Hopkins researcher] Roland Griffiths told me, if you have a steady supply of something, you can afford it and it's not interfering with your life, there's nothing wrong with being addicted."
Interview highlights
On his experience of giving up caffeine for three months
The thing that really struck me was that I've never had [attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]. I can focus pretty well. I felt like, oh, this is what ADHD is like. I can't keep stuff out of the peripheries. The peripheral information and sense data keeps rushing in and getting in the way. I felt like I was a horse that had taken its blinders off and suddenly I could see too many degrees of circumference. So that was a real problem for working. I really had trouble sitting and writing and staying still.
After a few days, this began to lift. I think anyone who delays having their morning cup of coffee knows what I'm talking about, but there was a kind of a sense of a veil or fog that had descended between me and reality. I was just kind of muzzy headed, and that gradually lifted. But I have to say, even weeks later, I felt like there was a little mental hitch between me and reality. I felt as if this wasn't my natural language — speaking in another language, which never goes that well or that smoothly. ... I got over it eventually, and I wrote a big chunk of the piece without the influence of caffeine. ... But it was an interesting three months. I recommend it actually. I think it's a really interesting exercise.
On how going without caffeine improved his sleep
It was amazing. I was sleeping like a teenager again. I would pop off and just sleep through the night — which I don't do that often. And I had some great sleeps. I guess that was the big compensating benefit of giving up caffeine. ... Caffeine is the enemy of good sleep. ...
It's a problem in ways we don't perceive, because caffeine undermines the quality — not necessarily the quantity, but the quality — of our sleep. And specifically, one very particular kind of sleep, which I'd never heard of before, called "slow wave" or deep sleep. This isn't REM sleep, where you're having dreams, or light sleep. This is a really deep place you go for not that long a part of the night, but it's really important to your mental and physical health. It's where these slow waves start radiating from the front of your brain into the back, and they kind of harmonize all the neurons, get them on the same page. It's where you kind of take memories from short-term working memory and put them in their proper place. It's like cleaning up the desktop on your computer at the end of the day.
Matt Walker, the psychologist who wrote Why We Sleep, thinks that this is very important to our health to have sufficient amounts of deep sleep. As we get older, we have less of it naturally. And coffee or tea cuts into that, even if you stop drinking it, say, at noon, because caffeine has a very long half-life and quarter-life. So, for example, the caffeine you ingest at noon — a quarter of it is still circulating in your bloodstream at midnight. It's still around. And this is the subtle and, perhaps, insidious effect it's having on you.
On how caffeine withdrawal works
It's beginning when you wake up. I mean, you haven't had coffee or tea since sometime the day before. ... All those people who tell you, "I'm not civil" [or] "I'm not fit for human conversation until I have a cup of coffee" — they're beginning to go through that withdrawal. They're starting to feel a little off — that muzziness is coming in. Maybe they have a headache. Maybe they're a little irritable. And then they have that cup of coffee, and the pleasure they're getting from it, I learned, is not simply the lift, the euphoric lift of the drug. It's the suppression of the symptoms of withdrawal. We go through that cycle.
One of the things you learn when you take a caffeine fast, as I did, is that the experience of caffeine is very different to a caffeine virgin or a restored caffeine virgin, as I was, than it is to someone who's addicted. Those people [who are addicted] are getting a little bit of lift, but mostly what they're getting is the relief from these symptoms that are about to come down on them. And that feels pretty good. You're back to baseline. But when you're off for a few months, man, it's something else. It's a very powerful drug experience. And I was not prepared for it at all.
On how caffeine keeps us alert
We have a neurotransmitter called adenosine. ... Over the course of the day, levels of it rise, and its job is to gradually make us tired — create what's called sleep pressure. So, eventually, we turn out the lights and go to sleep, [and] there is a receptor that the adenosine fits into. And, as it turns out, caffeine fits into the same receptor — it gets there before the adenosine has a chance to. So it essentially blocks the action of that neurotransmitter — you never get the signal that you're tired.
Eventually, though, the adenosine — it's not like it goes away. It keeps building up the level in your bloodstream, keeps building up, so that when the caffeine is finally metabolized and the receptors are available again — voom! You get hit by a flood of adenosine, and you get really tired.
And what would you do then? Well, you'd have another cup of coffee and start the cycle all over again. ... That's what keeps us awake. That's the alertness of caffeine. But it does also act on some other network, such as the dopamine network, and that's part of what gives us the euphoria.
Caffeine really helps capitalism conquer the frontier of night. ... To break those circadian rhythms is a huge deal.
On how caffeine helped capitalism
We have these circadian rhythms that organize and govern our lives — and they're hard to break. And I don't know that you could ever have had a night shift or even a late shift before you had caffeine. Caffeine really helps capitalism conquer the frontier of night. And that's why it was so important to the Industrial Revolution, where you had these expensive machines you wanted to keep running all night and you moved to two and three shifts. Did people work at night before that? Not very much. That's why I do think the impact on the modern world has been profound and that this has had a huge effect on our civilization and on ourselves. To break those circadian rhythms is a huge deal.
How coffee and tea historically relied on slave labor
There's a really ugly history behind both of them. [On] the early coffee plantations in Brazil, all the workers were slaves. But even later, when you have post-slavery Central America, these were brutal places to work. The thing about growing coffee and tea is you need a lot of labor, because the shrubs have to be pruned. I went coffee picking in Colombia, and it's really hard work. It's kind of a spiky plant, and it grows on such a steep hillside. You can't get your footing. ...
It's a very dark history. And like a lot of things, we're participating in these commodity chains, and we have no idea what's behind it. I mean, who among us has seen a coffee plant or a tea plant, except in photography? But at the other end of those food chains, it has often been quite a bit of brutality. And, of course, coffee and tea drove demand for sugar, and sugar was at the very heart of the slave trade in the Caribbean.
Capitalism may be killing the golden goose as climate change undermines coffee production.
On how climate change could affect coffee production
It's a very demanding plant, and it's very picky. It has to have exactly the right altitude, water ... all this kind of stuff, which is concerning now, because coffee faces a tremendous threat from climate change. There is a narrow band of conditions that make coffee happy. And the estimates now [from] the climate scientists — and this will be alarming to the fellow addicts out there — is that 50% of the coffee-growing regions will not be able to support the coffee plant by 2050. So capitalism may be killing the golden goose as climate change undermines coffee production. ... We may look back and say we lived in this golden age of good coffee that lasted from 1966 to 2050 — and then it'll be downhill from there.
Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the Web.


npr--2020-02-10--Taking Zinc Can Shorten Your Cold. Thank A 91-Year-Old Scientist For The Discovery

Taking Zinc Can Shorten Your Cold .
Thank A 91-Year-Old Scientist For The Discovery The common cold is a top reason for missed work and school days .
Most of us have two or three colds per year , each lasting at least a week .
There 's no real cure , but studies from the last several years show that some supplement containing zinc can help shorten the duration of cold symptoms by up to 40 % — depending on the amount of the mineral in each dose and what it 's combined with .
Zinc has an interesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledged as an essential mineral for human health until the 1970s .
But that changed thanks to the work of Dr. Ananda Prasad — a 91-year-old doctor who , decades ago , had a hunch that led to a better understanding of zinc 's role in immunity .
Back in the 1960s Prasad was studying a group of young men in Egypt who had not grown to normal heights and remained underdeveloped in other ways , too .
Prasad wondered if the problem might be a lack of zinc .
When Prasad gave @ @ @ @ @ @ @ significantly taller .
`` I could n't believe it , '' he says .
Prasad had never expected such significant growth .
Some scientists challenged his findings , at the time , questioning the idea that zinc deficiency could even occur in humans .
`` It was controversial , '' Prasad says .
But he pressed on with his research and began to document the ways zinc influences immunity .
Eventually , in the 1970 's , the National Academy of Sciences declared zinc an essential mineral , fundamental to many aspects of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daily allowance , which is the daily amount that 's sufficient for good nutrition .
( Most of us today get plenty of zinc from foods such as beans , nuts , whole grains and fortified cereals . )
Prasad says he felt vindicated by this action .
`` Absolutely , '' Prasad told us from his home in Michigan , where he 's a researcher and professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit .
What came next in his career may be just as surprising .
Prasad had demonstrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — so he figured that it might help against a ubiquitous scourge — the common cold .
To test this theory , he collaborated with a scientist at the University of Michigan — who was skeptical .
`` When I first heard this — I actually told his research assistant : I think he 's losing it , '' recalls James T. Fitzgerald , who has expertise in designing research studies .
Fitzgerald agreed to help with a double-blind , placebo-controlled trial .
They identified participants in the Detroit area who had developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was given the real thing , and who was given the placebo .
`` Lo and behold , when I did the analysis it indeed did shorten common cold symptoms by about two or three days , `` Fitzgerald says .
`` I was stunned by that result . ''
Zinc 's been studied for years , and not all studies have pointed to a benefit , but that may be because of the dosage and composition of the lozenge used .
Most recently , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hemilä at the University of Helsinki concludes that 80 to 92 milligrams per day of zinc , given at the onset of cold symptoms , reduced duration of the common cold by 33 % .
The study finds that two different zinc compounds — zinc acetate and zinc gluconate — are both effective .
And there 's no evidence , the researchers say , that increasing those doses of zinc ( to 100 milligrams per day or more ) leads to any greater efficacy .
Great news .
Nonetheless , `` it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Hemilä , the author of the meta-analysis .
That 's because zinc cold formulations sold at drugstores often contain multiple ingredients that can undercut the zinc 's effectiveness .
For instance , the lozenges `` should not contain citric acid , '' Hemilä says , because it binds with the zinc in a way that keeps the mineral from being released .
In addition , he says , the mechanism of action is not well understood , so scientists ca n't say exactly how it works .
The lozenge used in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fitzgerald notes .
`` It was especially designed for the study . ''
So , do check each package 's list of ingredients and the size of the zinc dose , the scientists recommend .
Because not all products are going to help .
And remember , other common sense measures can help ease your cold symptoms too — like getting good sleep and drinking extra fluids -- or keep it from deteriorating into something worse .

Taking Zinc Can Shorten Your Cold. Thank A 91-Year-Old Scientist For The Discovery
Enlarge this image toggle caption Karl Tapales/Getty Images Karl Tapales/Getty Images
The common cold is a top reason for missed work and school days. Most of us have two or three colds per year, each lasting at least a week.
There's no real cure, but studies from the last several years show that some supplement containing zinc can help shorten the duration of cold symptoms by up to 40% — depending on the amount of the mineral in each dose and what it's combined with.
Zinc has an interesting back story. It wasn't even acknowledged as an essential mineral for human health until the 1970s. But that changed thanks to the work of Dr. Ananda Prasad — a 91-year-old doctor who, decades ago, had a hunch that led to a better understanding of zinc's role in immunity.
Back in the 1960s Prasad was studying a group of young men in Egypt who had not grown to normal heights and remained underdeveloped in other ways, too. Prasad wondered if the problem might be a lack of zinc.
When Prasad gave them zinc supplements, the men grew significantly taller.
"I couldn't believe it," he says. Prasad had never expected such significant growth.
Some scientists challenged his findings, at the time, questioning the idea that zinc deficiency could even occur in humans. "It was controversial," Prasad says.
But he pressed on with his research and began to document the ways zinc influences immunity.
Eventually, in the 1970's, the National Academy of Sciences declared zinc an essential mineral, fundamental to many aspects of cell metabolism. NAS established a recommended daily allowance, which is the daily amount that's sufficient for good nutrition. (Most of us today get plenty of zinc from foods such as beans, nuts, whole grains and fortified cereals.)
Prasad says he felt vindicated by this action. "Absolutely," Prasad told us from his home in Michigan, where he's a researcher and professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
What came next in his career may be just as surprising. Prasad had demonstrated that zinc had an effect on immunity — so he figured that it might help against a ubiquitous scourge — the common cold.
To test this theory, he collaborated with a scientist at the University of Michigan — who was skeptical.
"When I first heard this — I actually told his research assistant: I think he's losing it," recalls James T. Fitzgerald, who has expertise in designing research studies.
Fitzgerald agreed to help with a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. They identified participants in the Detroit area who had developed colds and gave them zinc lozenges. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was given the real thing, and who was given the placebo.
"Lo and behold, when I did the analysis it indeed did shorten common cold symptoms by about two or three days, " Fitzgerald says. "I was stunned by that result."
Zinc's been studied for years, and not all studies have pointed to a benefit, but that may be because of the dosage and composition of the lozenge used.
Most recently, a meta-analysis published in 2017 by Harri Hemilä at the University of Helsinki concludes that 80 to 92 milligrams per day of zinc, given at the onset of cold symptoms, reduced duration of the common cold by 33%.
The study finds that two different zinc compounds — zinc acetate and zinc gluconate — are both effective. And there's no evidence, the researchers say, that increasing those doses of zinc (to 100 milligrams per day or more) leads to any greater efficacy.
Great news. Nonetheless, "it's quite difficult to instruct patients," says Hemilä, the author of the meta-analysis. That's because zinc cold formulations sold at drugstores often contain multiple ingredients that can undercut the zinc's effectiveness. For instance, the lozenges "should not contain citric acid," Hemilä says, because it binds with the zinc in a way that keeps the mineral from being released. In addition, he says, the mechanism of action is not well understood, so scientists can't say exactly how it works.
The lozenge used in the Michigan study is not available commercially, Fitzgerald notes. "It was especially designed for the study."
So, do check each package's list of ingredients and the size of the zinc dose, the scientists recommend. Because not all products are going to help.
And remember, other common sense measures can help ease your cold symptoms too — like getting good sleep and drinking extra fluids -- or keep it from deteriorating into something worse.


npr--2020-02-10--65 More Coronavirus Cases On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Stuck In Japan

65 More Coronavirus Cases On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Stuck In Japan There are 65 new coronavirus cases aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship , which has been under a quarantine since last week , Japan 's health ministry announced Monday .
With the latest cases , a total of 135 people from the ship have been confirmed to have the respiratory virus .
Those newly diagnosed include 45 Japanese and 11 Americans , as well as smaller numbers of people from Australia , Canada , England , the Philippines and Ukraine , according to Princess Cruises .
Even before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cruise ship already represented the largest cluster of Wuhan coronavirus cases outside mainland China .
The virus , identified as 2019-nCoV , has killed more than 900 people in China , where more than 40,000 people have been infected since it emerged in the city of Wuhan , in Hubei province .
The Diamond Princess is under a 14-day quarantine that 's set to expire on Feb. 19 .
But health officials say the quarantine period could be extended for any passengers and crew members in close contact with people newly diagnosed with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case , '' the World Health Organization said on Sunday , referring to anyone who had been in close contact with someone infected .
As officials revealed the new test results , they did not specify how many close contacts those patients might have had on the ship .
`` The captain made an announcement that the Japanese authorities were concerned about the new cases , '' passenger Young Wo-sang of Hong Kong told the South China Morning Post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopped short of saying whether we can leave on Feb. 19 .
So we just do n't know when we are going to leave . ''
Many cases of coronavirus are mild , with symptoms ranging from a fever and cough to a flu-like condition .
But patients can develop severe pneumonia , and about 2 % of Wuhan coronavirus cases have been fatal , the WHO says .
Passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have been told to stay in their rooms for all but brief periods of the day , with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their doors .
The cruise ship had roughly 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard when it arrived at the Yokohama terminal south of Tokyo early last week .
Japan 's health ministry has been taking people off the cruise ship using special sanitation measures , such as a tentlike tunnel and white medical suits .
Patients are then transported to local hospitals with infectious-disease wards .
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo says that it has been visiting the Americans who have been hospitalized and that it has helped passengers aboard the ship get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chargé d'affaires in Tokyo , says the embassy is also sending a daily email to all Americans aboard the ship .
Matthew Smith — who has been documenting his shipboard meals and bemoaning the lack of sufficient coffee on Twitter — said a recent embassy email told passengers that `` the safest option to minimize the risk of infection is to remain in your cabin on the ship . ''
To limit the potential spread of the coronavirus , passengers are allowed to visit the deck only in shifts , for roughly 90-minute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperatures regularly , using thermometers distributed by the crew .
During their brief time in larger groups , the passengers are asked to keep their distance from other people and to wash their hands thoroughly afterward .
Princess Cruises has announced compensation for the passengers — some of whom are facing four weeks on the ship because of the quarantine — saying it will refund their full fare and other expenses , from air travel to hotel and transportation costs .
`` In addition , guests will not be charged for any onboard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' the company said .
The cruise line said it will also give guests a future travel credit for a trip equal to the fare they paid for the current voyage — which officially ended Feb. 4 , when the ship was held at the Japanese port .
To ease the strain of prolonged isolation , Princess Cruises announced last week that it is providing free Internet and phone service to passengers .
And to stave off boredom , it also expanded the passengers ' TV and movie options , along with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Another cruise ship , Holland America 's MS Westerdam , is now on its way to Thailand after spending several days with nowhere to go when Japan — its final destination — denied entry to several of its ports , including Yokohama .
Officials in Taiwan , the Philippines and Guam also had denied entry .
The ship , which has more than 2,200 people aboard , left Hong Kong for a 14-day cruise on Feb. 1 .
`` The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board despite media reports , '' Holland America said .
The company says the Westerdam will now end its ill-fated cruise by disembarking passengers in Bangkok on Feb. 13 .
According to VesselFinder , the ship was off Vietnam 's southern coast on Monday .
`` All guests will be disembarking in Bangkok for their forward flights home , '' Holland America said .
It added that the passengers will get a full refund for the trip , along with a credit for a future trip .

65 More Coronavirus Cases On Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Stuck In Japan
Enlarge this image toggle caption Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 8:09 p.m. ET
There are 65 new coronavirus cases aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has been under a quarantine since last week, Japan's health ministry announced Monday. With the latest cases, a total of 135 people from the ship have been confirmed to have the respiratory virus.
Those newly diagnosed include 45 Japanese and 11 Americans, as well as smaller numbers of people from Australia, Canada, England, the Philippines and Ukraine, according to Princess Cruises.
Even before the latest cases were confirmed, the cruise ship already represented the largest cluster of Wuhan coronavirus cases outside mainland China. The virus, identified as 2019-nCoV, has killed more than 1,000 people in China, where more than 42,000 people have been infected since it emerged in the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province.
The Diamond Princess is under a 14-day quarantine that's set to expire on Feb. 19. But health officials say the quarantine period could be extended for any passengers and crew members in close contact with people newly diagnosed with the strain of coronavirus.
"They need to remain in quarantine for 14 days from last contact with a confirmed case," the World Health Organization said on Sunday, referring to anyone who had been in close contact with someone infected.
As officials revealed the new test results, they did not specify how many close contacts those patients might have had on the ship.
"The captain made an announcement that the Japanese authorities were concerned about the new cases," passenger Young Wo-sang of Hong Kong told the South China Morning Post. Young added, "But he stopped short of saying whether we can leave on Feb. 19. So we just don't know when we are going to leave."
Many cases of coronavirus are mild, with symptoms ranging from a fever and cough to a flu-like condition. But patients can develop severe pneumonia, and about 2% of Wuhan coronavirus cases have been fatal, the WHO says.
Passengers aboard the Diamond Princess have been told to stay in their rooms for all but brief periods of the day, with the crew bringing meals and other necessities to their doors.
The cruise ship had roughly 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard when it arrived at the Yokohama terminal south of Tokyo early last week. Japan's health ministry has been taking people infected with the coronavirus off the cruise ship using special sanitation measures, such as a tentlike tunnel and white medical suits. Patients are then transported to local hospitals with infectious-disease wards.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo says that it has been visiting the Americans who have been hospitalized and that it has helped passengers aboard the ship get medications. Joe Young, the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Tokyo, says the embassy is also sending a daily email to all Americans aboard the ship.
Matthew Smith — who has been documenting his shipboard meals and bemoaning the lack of sufficient coffee on Twitter — said a recent embassy email told passengers that "the safest option to minimize the risk of infection is to remain in your cabin on the ship."
To limit the potential spread of the coronavirus, passengers are allowed to visit the deck only in shifts, for roughly 90-minute periods. They're also checking their temperatures regularly, using thermometers distributed by the crew. During their brief time in larger groups, the passengers are asked to keep their distance from other people and to wash their hands thoroughly afterward.
Princess Cruises has announced compensation for the passengers — some of whom are facing four weeks on the ship because of the quarantine — saying it will refund their full fare and other expenses, from air travel to hotel and transportation costs.
"In addition, guests will not be charged for any onboard incidental charges during the additional time onboard," the company said.
The cruise line said it will also give guests a future travel credit for a trip equal to the fare they paid for the current voyage — which officially ended Feb. 4, when the ship was held at the Japanese port.
To ease the strain of prolonged isolation, Princess Cruises announced last week that it is providing free Internet and phone service to passengers. And to stave off boredom, it also expanded the passengers' TV and movie options, along with offering games, puzzles and other distractions.
Another cruise ship, Holland America's MS Westerdam, is now on its way to Thailand after spending several days with nowhere to go when Japan — its final destination — denied entry to several of its ports, including Yokohama. Officials in Taiwan, the Philippines and Guam also had denied entry.
Holland America called the predicament "a very dynamic situation."
The ship, which has more than 2,200 people aboard, left Hong Kong for a 14-day cruise on Feb. 1.
"The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports," Holland America said.
The company says the Westerdam will now end its ill-fated cruise by disembarking passengers in Bangkok on Feb. 13. According to VesselFinder, the ship was off Vietnam's southern coast on Monday.
"All guests will be disembarking in Bangkok for their forward flights home," Holland America said. It added that the passengers will get a full refund for the trip, along with a credit for a future trip.