npr--2020-02-23--In Age of COVID-19, Hong Kong Innovates To Test And Quarantine Thousands

In Age of COVID-19 , Hong Kong Innovates To Test And Quarantine Thousands Hong Kong is fighting an epic battle to keep the new coronavirus from exploding in its territory .
As of Sunday , the city of 7.5 million had only 70 confirmed cases .
But with thousands of cases being reported just across its border posts in mainland China , the threat of this virus is forcing Hong Kong health officials to work frantically to try to keep the disease at bay .
Thousands of people who may have had contact with patients — or who have recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homes under mandatory quarantine orders .
The government is requiring anyone who enters from China to remain inside their homes or hotel rooms for 14 days .
Hundreds more are locked in quarantine facilities under police guard .
Doctors are determining who to test for the new virus , who to isolate and who to order to stay at home .
Hospitals have dedicated entire wards to tending to suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases .
And in this battle , Hong Kong is constantly having to innovate and improvise .
The city has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into a quarantine facility .
The complex , called the Chun Yeung Estate , is a cluster of 40-story high-rises spread over five blocks .
The complex when finished will have nearly 5,000 apartments .
None of the apartments have been rented out yet but now it 's being turned in to one of the largest quarantine facilities in Hong Kong , capable of holding thousands of people .
Buses under heavy police escort arrived at Chun Yeung bringing passengers off the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Japan ; they 'll be confined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up barricades around the entire complex — and not just to keep the quarantined passengers in .
A few weeks ago protestors set fire to another high-rise that Hong Kong had been planning to use as a quarantine facility , fearing that the virus could spread in their neighborhood .
But Carrie Lam , the chief executive of Hong Kong , has stood firm with the plan to use Chun Yeung Estate as a quarantine center .
`` Hong Kong can not afford to not have this center , '' she said at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ housing estate , she said , is the city 's only viable option for quarantining the nearly 300 people coming from the cruise ship .
There is no plan B , she said .
`` We will do all we can to protect this estate , '' Lam said of the police barricades and checkpoints that now surround the complex .
`` And I hope residents [ of the neighborhood ] will accept this arrangement , which is of benefit to the whole society . ''
Testing people for the virus is another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find new ways to respond .
Hong Kong 's public health system currently runs 700 to 800 laboratory tests a day for the new coronavirus .
To ease the burden on doctors , clinics and laboratories , Dr. Lau Ka-hin , the Hospital Authority 's chief manager for quality and standards , announced that hospitals are launching a new outpatient testing program for suspected COVID-19 cases .
The outpatient program is for individuals `` age 18 with fever , upper respiratory tract infection or pneumonia , '' Lau said .
`` And if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't need to be hospitalized , then the accident and emergency department will give a specimen tube to the patient . ''
The patient is instructed to take the tube home , then first thing in the morning spit into the vial and return the sample to the lab .
There is a possibility that patients will not take the sample correctly , Lau said .
And of the first 300 specimen tubes sent home , only about 250 were returned .
Still , Lau sees advantages in this new initiative .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the hospital to wait for the test results , '' Lau said , unlike the current procedure .
The vast majority of people test negative , so this new procedure will also keep those patients out of the health-care system and away from patients who may actually be infected with the virus .
`` After a patient sends in a specimen it will take about two to three working days to complete the test on the virus , '' Lau said .
`` If the test result is negative , we will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But if [ the ] test is positive , then the department of health will call the patient and arrange for the patient to go into hospital for treatment in isolation . ''
In addition to setting up new testing programs for the virus , Hong Kong 's health department is also attempting to track down hundreds of people who may have been in contact with confirmed cases .
Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan , the head of the communicable disease branch for the health department , said the primary focus is on getting in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tend to be at highest risk .
`` But for other contacts , sometimes it 's very difficult , '' Chuang said .
She said airlines and trains often do n't have the phone number or other contacts for passengers , and it 's impossible to track them down after they 've disembarked .
Sometimes the passengers are no longer even in Hong Kong .
For instance , the city was notified that 36 Hong Kong residents were aboard the MS Westerdam cruise ship , where a passenger tested positive after disembarking in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to connect with 24 of them but is still trying to track down the other 12 .
Last week two people who 'd taken a bus to Hong Kong from Macau both tested positive .
Contact tracers are trying to find the others who were on that bus .
Chuang said there are some situations where it 's nearly impossible to find all the contacts .
For instance , `` it is very difficult '' to find taxi drivers who may have driven an ill person to a hospital or clinic , Chuang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not provide a license plate or car plate number for the taxi .
We try all sorts of means and sometimes it 's futile . ''
As if the health department did n't have enough extra work trying to chase down potential contacts of confirmed cases , it 's also overseeing nearly 12,000 people who are under mandatory home quarantine after being diagnosed with COVID-19 .
In addition to the locked quarantine centers like the public housing towers holding high-risk individuals , like the evacuees from the Diamond Princess , Hong Kong also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered at lower risk of infection — for instance , people who had been in mainland China but were not in contact with a COVID-19 patient .
Currently there are nearly 12,000 people in the city confined to their homes , most of them Hong Kong residents recently returned from China .
The Health Department monitors them by video calls and tracks their cellphones for 14 days .
Higher risk people in this program including close contacts of existing cases and anyone who 'd been in Hubei province are fitted with wrist monitors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their apartments .
Given the huge number of people under these quarantine orders and the scant staff from the health department who are supposed to keep tabs on them , for many this ends up as a quarantine under the honor system .
The first batch of 663 persons to serve out their 14 mandatory home quarantine were released on Saturday .
None of them developed the disease .

In Age of COVID-19, Hong Kong Innovates To Test And Quarantine Thousands
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jason Beaubien/NPR Jason Beaubien/NPR
Hong Kong is fighting an epic battle to keep the new coronavirus from exploding in its territory.
As of Sunday, the city of 7.5 million had only 70 confirmed cases. But with thousands of cases being reported just across its border posts in mainland China, the threat of this virus is forcing Hong Kong health officials to work frantically to try to keep the disease at bay.
Thousands of people who may have had contact with patients — or who have recently visited China — are confined to their homes under mandatory quarantine orders. The government is requiring anyone who enters from China to remain inside their homes or hotel rooms for 14 days. Hundreds more are locked in quarantine facilities under police guard. Doctors are determining who to test for the new virus, who to isolate and who to order to stay at home. Hospitals have dedicated entire wards to tending to suspect and confirmed COVID-19 cases. And in this battle, Hong Kong is constantly having to innovate and improvise.
The city has converted a newly built public housing complex into a quarantine facility. The complex, called the Chun Yeung Estate, is a cluster of 40-story high-rises spread over five blocks. The complex when finished will have nearly 5,000 apartments. None of the apartments have been rented out yet but now it's being turned in to one of the largest quarantine facilities in Hong Kong, capable of holding thousands of people.
Buses under heavy police escort arrived at Chun Yeung bringing passengers off the Diamond Princess cruise ship from Japan; they'll be confined for 14 days. Police have set up barricades around the entire complex — and not just to keep the quarantined passengers in. A few weeks ago protestors set fire to another high-rise that Hong Kong had been planning to use as a quarantine facility, fearing that the virus could spread in their neighborhood.
But Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, has stood firm with the plan to use Chun Yeung Estate as a quarantine center. "Hong Kong cannot afford to not have this center," she said at a press conference. The Chun Yueng housing estate, she said, is the city's only viable option for quarantining the nearly 300 people coming from the cruise ship. There is no plan B, she said.
"We will do all we can to protect this estate," Lam said of the police barricades and checkpoints that now surround the complex. "And I hope residents [of the neighborhood] will accept this arrangement, which is of benefit to the whole society."
Testing people for the virus is another area where the city has had to find new ways to respond. Hong Kong's public health system currently runs 700 to 800 laboratory tests a day for the new coronavirus. To ease the burden on doctors, clinics and laboratories, Dr. Lau Ka-hin, the Hospital Authority's chief manager for quality and standards, announced that hospitals are launching a new outpatient testing program for suspected COVID-19 cases.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jason Beaubien/NPR Jason Beaubien/NPR
The outpatient program is for individuals "age 18 with fever, upper respiratory tract infection or pneumonia," Lau said. "And if the clinical diagnosis is that they don't need to be hospitalized, then the accident and emergency department will give a specimen tube to the patient."
The patient is instructed to take the tube home, then first thing in the morning spit into the vial and return the sample to the lab. There is a possibility that patients will not take the sample correctly, Lau said. And of the first 300 specimen tubes sent home, only about 250 were returned. Still, Lau sees advantages in this new initiative.
"The patient does not have to stay in the hospital to wait for the test results," Lau said, unlike the current procedure.
The vast majority of people test negative, so this new procedure will also keep those patients out of the health-care system and away from patients who may actually be infected with the virus.
"After a patient sends in a specimen it will take about two to three working days to complete the test on the virus," Lau said. "If the test result is negative, we will inform the patient by text message. But if [the] test is positive, then the department of health will call the patient and arrange for the patient to go into hospital for treatment in isolation."
In addition to setting up new testing programs for the virus, Hong Kong's health department is also attempting to track down hundreds of people who may have been in contact with confirmed cases.
Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, the head of the communicable disease branch for the health department, said the primary focus is on getting in touch with close family members as they tend to be at highest risk.
"But for other contacts, sometimes it's very difficult," Chuang said. She said airlines and trains often don't have the phone number or other contacts for passengers, and it's impossible to track them down after they've disembarked. Sometimes the passengers are no longer even in Hong Kong.
For instance, the city was notified that 36 Hong Kong residents were aboard the MS Westerdam cruise ship, where a passenger tested positive after disembarking in Cambodia. The health department was able to connect with 24 of them but is still trying to track down the other 12.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Anthony Kwan/Getty Images Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Last week two people who'd taken a bus to Hong Kong from Macau both tested positive. Contact tracers are trying to find the others who were on that bus.
Chuang said there are some situations where it's nearly impossible to find all the contacts.
For instance, "it is very difficult" to find taxi drivers who may have driven an ill person to a hospital or clinic, Chuang said, "because the patient cannot provide a license plate or car plate number for the taxi. We try all sorts of means and sometimes it's futile."
As if the health department didn't have enough extra work trying to chase down potential contacts of confirmed cases, it's also overseeing nearly 12,000 people who are under mandatory home quarantine after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
In addition to the locked quarantine centers like the public housing towers holding high-risk individuals, like the evacuees from the Diamond Princess, Hong Kong also has a home quarantine program for people considered at lower risk of infection — for instance, people who had been in mainland China but were not in contact with a COVID-19 patient. Currently there are nearly 12,000 people in the city confined to their homes, most of them Hong Kong residents recently returned from China. The Health Department monitors them by video calls and tracks their cellphones for 14 days.
Higher risk people in this program including close contacts of existing cases and anyone who'd been in Hubei province are fitted with wrist monitors to make sure they don't leave their apartments. Given the huge number of people under these quarantine orders and the scant staff from the health department who are supposed to keep tabs on them, for many this ends up as a quarantine under the honor system. The first batch of 663 persons to serve out their 14 mandatory home quarantine were released on Saturday. None of them developed the disease.


npr--2020-02-23--Algorithm Targets Marijuana Convictions Eligible To Be Cleared

When California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016 , they made it legal to use marijuana recreationally and gave residents an opportunity to clear their records of certain marijuana-related convictions .
But the proposition came with a caveat : In order to get a past conviction reduced or dismissed , the burden fell to the person convicted — a process considered costly , time-consuming and confusing .
Consequently , just 3 % of people who qualify for relief received it , according to the nonpartisan group Code for America .
`` Why are we asking people with convictions to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't government do that ? ''
the group 's senior program manager , Alia Toran-Burrell , recalled thinking .
Code for America saw an opportunity : To help clear the backlog of some 220,000 cases , the organization developed an algorithm to identify which residents qualify to have their records cleared or reduced .
Now , district attorneys across the state are crediting the group with expediting an otherwise slow and tedious process .
The group 's algorithm works by analyzing massive datasets of criminal records that meet district attorneys ' eligibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legible database that pinpoints those who are qualified to have their convictions either eased or outright dismissed .
Since launching the program , Code for America has helped reduce or dismiss about 85,000 marijuana-related convictions in California , according to Toran-Burrell .
`` The alternative would be that a district attorney would have to cull through hundreds of thousands of lines of conviction data to determine eligibility for each of the convictions that might be eligible , '' Toran-Burrell told NPR 's Weekend Edition .
`` This technology allows district attorneys to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' she said .
A year-and-a-half ago , five California counties teamed up with Code for America in a pilot program of its algorithm .
Los Angeles , the country 's largest prosecutor 's office , is also the largest county partner to use the tool .
L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced earlier this month that close to 66,000 people with marijuana-related convictions are expected to get their cases dismissed and sealed as a result of the technology 's assistance .
Echoing an argument commonly made by criminal justice advocates , Lacey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disproportionately affect people of color .
`` What this does is it proactively gives people a fresh start , '' she said .
`` It gets those felonies dismissed off their records so that it will not preclude them from applying for jobs in the future or getting housing benefits or other kind of benefits that they may be entitled to . ''
The organization has now made the desktop application available so that district attorneys statewide can benefit from the algorithm , as districts race to meet a July 1 deadline to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And as more jurisdictions across the U.S. move to decriminalize marijuana , the technology could have far-reaching applications .
NPR 's Ian Stewart and Peter Breslow produced and edited the audio version of this story .

Algorithm Targets Marijuana Convictions Eligible To Be Cleared
Enlarge this image toggle caption Josh Edelson/AP Josh Edelson/AP
When California voters passed Proposition 64 in 2016, they made it legal to use marijuana recreationally and gave residents an opportunity to clear their records of certain marijuana-related convictions.
But the proposition came with a caveat: In order to get a past conviction reduced or dismissed, the burden fell to the person convicted — a process considered costly, time-consuming and confusing. Consequently, just 3% of people who qualify for relief received it, according to the nonpartisan group Code for America.
"Why are we asking people with convictions to go through this really burdensome process? Why can't government do that?" the group's senior program manager, Alia Toran-Burrell, recalled thinking.
Code for America saw an opportunity: To help clear the backlog of some 220,000 cases, the organization developed an algorithm to identify which residents qualify to have their records cleared or reduced. Now, district attorneys across the state are crediting the group with expediting an otherwise slow and tedious process.
The group's algorithm works by analyzing massive datasets of criminal records that meet district attorneys' eligibility standards. The resulting product is a legible database that pinpoints those who are qualified to have their convictions either eased or outright dismissed.
Since launching the program, Code for America has helped reduce or dismiss about 85,000 marijuana-related convictions in California, according to Toran-Burrell.
"The alternative would be that a district attorney would have to cull through hundreds of thousands of lines of conviction data to determine eligibility for each of the convictions that might be eligible," Toran-Burrell told NPR's Weekend Edition.
"This technology allows district attorneys to do this in an incredibly streamlined way," she said.
A year-and-a-half ago, five California counties teamed up with Code for America in a pilot program of its algorithm.
Los Angeles, the country's largest prosecutor's office, is also the largest county partner to use the tool. L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced earlier this month that close to 66,000 people with marijuana-related convictions are expected to get their cases dismissed and sealed as a result of the technology's assistance.
Echoing an argument commonly made by criminal justice advocates, Lacey said in an interview that marijuana-related convictions disproportionately affect people of color.
"What this does is it proactively gives people a fresh start," she said. "It gets those felonies dismissed off their records so that it will not preclude them from applying for jobs in the future or getting housing benefits or other kind of benefits that they may be entitled to."
The organization has now made the desktop application available so that district attorneys statewide can benefit from the algorithm, as districts race to meet a July 1 deadline to expunge or reduce all eligible convictions.
And as more jurisdictions across the U.S. move to decriminalize marijuana, the technology could have far-reaching applications.
NPR's Ian Stewart and Peter Breslow produced and edited the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-02-24--MVP Pitcher Madison Bumgarner Has A Secret Life — As A Champion Cattle-Roper

Major League Baseball 's opening day is a little more than a month off .
But one of the boys of summer has been cross-training in the off season — by roping cattle .
Professionally .
Under an alias .
Madison Bumgarner , the left-handed pitching ace who was 2014 World Series MVP with the San Francisco Giants , has been entering — and sometimes winning — rodeo events under the name Mason Saunders .
The delightful revelation was reported Sunday by The Athletic , in the rare instance of investigative reporting unearthing evidence that the world is secretly better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the news was hiding in plain sight if you knew where to look — on the Facebook page of Rancho Rio , `` Arizona 's premier equine facility , '' which hosts a plethora of cattle roping competitions northwest of Phoenix .
One such event is team roping , in which one horseback rider ropes the front end of a steer while a second rider ropes the hind .
`` Jaxson Tucker & Mason Saunders took home the biggest paycheck of the day topping the # 12.5 Big Gamble , '' the arena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duo roped four steers in 31.36 seconds to pocket $ 26,560 in CASH ! ''
Rancho Rio 's post included a couple of photos of the champs : an action shot of the men roping a steer , and a photo of the two after their win .
The taller of the pair , with his thumbs hooked into his jeans , bore a striking resemblance to a certain ballplayer .
`` Oh boy , '' Bumgarner told Athletic reporters Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan when they asked him about the photo .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' But they say he was smiling when he said he told them , `` I 'm upset with both you two . ''
In any event , Bumgarner probably was n't roping for the cash .
About two weeks after Rio Rancho ( where `` Saunders '' took second place in an event a few days later ) , the Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to a five-year , $ 85 million contract , the second-largest deal in club history .
Bumgarner , who has been roping since he was a teenager in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alias was a way to keep a low profile at rodeo events .
He explained that `` Mason '' is a shortened version of his first name , while `` Saunders '' is his wife 's maiden name .
Bumgarner was a free agent at the time of the December event , but he also reportedly competed in an event in March while still under contract with the Giants .
His new boss , Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen , said Monday that he was unaware of his new pitcher 's rodeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does n't tell players what they can and ca n't do in their own time .
`` Madison is a grown man and we know he 's committed to helping us achieve our goals as a team , '' Hazen told the Arizona Republic .
`` Those have been the conversations that we 've had , from the time we first talked to him until very recently . ''
Meanwhile Bruce Bochy , Bumgarner 's former manager at the Giants , was wowed by the revelations .
`` It 's pretty impressive how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , right ?
I mean , jeez .
That 's even more impressive , '' Bochy said , according to MLB.com .
But he also guessed that the news might put an end to the pitcher 's side hustle .
`` I 've got to think that 's the end of him being on the rodeo circuit , '' Bochy said .
`` I ca n't wait to talk to him about it .
I 've got some stories about him , some things that he 's done , but this one tops @ @ @ @ @

MVP Pitcher Madison Bumgarner Has A Secret Life — As A Champion Cattle-Roper
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeff Chiu/AP Jeff Chiu/AP
Major League Baseball's opening day is a little more than a month off. But one of the boys of summer has been cross-training in the off season — by roping cattle. Professionally. Under an alias.
Madison Bumgarner, the left-handed pitching ace who was 2014 World Series MVP with the San Francisco Giants, has been entering — and sometimes winning — rodeo events under the name Mason Saunders.
The delightful revelation was reported Sunday by The Athletic, in the rare instance of investigative reporting unearthing evidence that the world is secretly better than we knew.
It turns out the news was hiding in plain sight if you knew where to look — on the Facebook page of Rancho Rio, "Arizona's premier equine facility," which hosts a plethora of cattle roping competitions northwest of Phoenix. One such event is team roping, in which one horseback rider ropes the front end of a steer while a second rider ropes the hind.
"Jaxson Tucker & Mason Saunders took home the biggest paycheck of the day topping the #12.5 Big Gamble," the arena posted in early December. "The duo roped four steers in 31.36 seconds to pocket $26,560 in CASH!"
Rancho Rio's post included a couple of photos of the champs: an action shot of the men roping a steer, and a photo of the two after their win. The taller of the pair, with his thumbs hooked into his jeans, bore a striking resemblance to a certain ballplayer.
"Oh boy," Bumgarner told Athletic reporters Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan when they asked him about the photo. "This is ruining my alias." But they say he was smiling when he said he told them, "I'm upset with both you two."
In any event, Bumgarner probably wasn't roping for the cash. About two weeks after Rio Rancho (where "Saunders" took second place in an event a few days later), the Arizona Diamondbacks signed him to a five-year, $85 million contract, the second-largest deal in club history.
Bumgarner, who has been roping since he was a teenager in North Carolina, told the site that the alias was a way to keep a low profile at rodeo events. He explained that "Mason" is a shortened version of his first name, while "Saunders" is his wife's maiden name.
Bumgarner was a free agent at the time of the December event, but he also reportedly competed in an event in March while still under contract with the Giants.
His new boss, Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen, said Monday that he was unaware of his new pitcher's rodeo exploits. But the GM says he doesn't tell players what they can and can't do in their own time.
"Madison is a grown man and we know he's committed to helping us achieve our goals as a team," Hazen told the Arizona Republic. "Those have been the conversations that we've had, from the time we first talked to him until very recently."
Meanwhile Bruce Bochy, Bumgarner's former manager at the Giants, was wowed by the revelations.
"It's pretty impressive how he hid this. And he won, right? I mean, jeez. That's even more impressive," Bochy said, according to MLB.com.
But he also guessed that the news might put an end to the pitcher's side hustle.
"I've got to think that's the end of him being on the rodeo circuit," Bochy said. "I can't wait to talk to him about it. I've got some stories about him, some things that he's done, but this one tops all of them."


npr--2020-02-24--At 25 Years, Understanding The Longevity Of Craigslist

At 25 Years , Understanding The Longevity Of Craigslist Craigslist is a bit of an anomaly on the rapidly changing Internet .
While other sites are constantly tweaking , testing new designs , finding new ways to gather data , Craigslist is remarkable for its stability .
A typical city 's page looks roughly the same today as it did 15 years ago .
`` It 's like a shark that 's never had to evolve , '' says Jessa Lingel , who 's written about the history of Craigslist for the website The Conversation and also in the book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Politics and Promise of craigslist .
While maintaining an old-school look , Craigslist has since grown to the behemoth of today , with billions of page views a month and an estimated revenue ( according to one consulting group ) of more than $ 1 billion in 2018 .
The site was founded by Craig Newmark , who started it as an email list to friends about happenings in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995 .
Jim Buckmaster , Craigslist 's CEO , has been in his job for two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engineer type guys who just really believe in keeping the design as simple and functional as possible , '' Lingel says .
`` [ I ] t 's never had a competitor that was really able to swallow up its user base .
It 's had loyal customers all along , loyal users all along , so it 's just never been forced to adapt . ''
Craigslist does n't run banner ads , and according to Lingel , it does n't sell user data to third parties .
It makes money by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post ads .
`` Ads like job postings , real estate ads , if you 're like a car dealer , furniture dealer , you have to pay a small amount of money , we 're talking like $ 5 to $ 25 — and that 's this entire revenue stream , '' Lingel says .
But for most people , it 's totally free .
It 's become the biggest market for classified ads on the Internet .
Craigslist is also different for being anonymous .
Authorities accused the site of facilitating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personals '' section in the U.S. two years ago after Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act , which aimed to crack down on child sex trafficking .
Reports through the years describe Craigslist 's role in helping accused killers , rapists , robbers and scammers find their victims .
As Craigslist celebrates 25 years this year , NPR 's Mary Louise Kelly spoke to Lingel , who is also an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania , about how the site has managed to keep on keeping on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary to sites such as Facebook That policy goes back to Craigslist 's early days in the 1990s when it was very common to be anonymous online or pseudonymous , you know , using pseudonyms or fake names .
And just like they have n't changed their appearance , they have never let go of that policy .
And they see that policy as providing a form of protection and privacy to their users .
So it is true that there have been some , you know , very violent crimes .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of course , there are also scams on platforms that we think of as much classier or much safer .
There 's scams on LinkedIn , on eBay , on Facebook .
So it is n't so much that the anonymity means that crime happens .
It just means that we have a policy to blame .
So we do tend to blame the platform more when we ca n't point at individual users because we do n't know anything about them .
On what she 's learned about how Craigslist compares to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I heard over and over again this sense that Craigslist is part of the poor people 's Internet .
And what participants and people I interviewed meant by that was that Craigslist sort of has this stigma that using it means you 're lower class , using it means you 're sort of hard up .
But it also meant that people of color , poor people , found that they could use the site in a way that really made sense for them .
So on a platform like Airbnb , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a rental , people can discriminate against you based on how you look .
We actually know for a fact that there have been these high-profile incidents on Airbnb of hosts discriminating against guests because of their name or what they look like .
So suddenly on a site like Craigslist , you can rent an apartment , you can try and search for a job .
And you do n't have to worry about people discriminating against you because you 're anonymous .
On Craigslist and the future of the Internet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 10 years and I 've always been interested in platforms that are sort of outside the mainstream .
And one thing that really interests me about Craigslist is that it 's been online for so long , and it has n't had to change its politics .
So Craigslist holds onto these early 1990s Web values about a platform being truly accessible , the platform being open and a platform that does n't change its appearance .
And in that sense , Craigslist reminds us there 's a path that a company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic and it can feel less commercial and still be incredibly successful .
You know , you do n't have to sacrifice your profits in order to protect user data .
NPR 's Elena Burnett and Emily Kopp produced and edited the audio version of this story .

At 25 Years, Understanding The Longevity Of Craigslist
Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Craigslist is a bit of an anomaly on the rapidly changing Internet. While other sites are constantly tweaking, testing new designs, finding new ways to gather data, Craigslist is remarkable for its stability.
A typical city's page looks roughly the same today as it did 15 years ago.
"It's like a shark that's never had to evolve," says Jessa Lingel, who's written about the history of Craigslist for the website The Conversation and also in the book, An Internet for the People: The Politics and Promise of craigslist.
While maintaining an old-school look, Craigslist has since grown to the behemoth of today, with billions of page views a month and an estimated revenue (according to one consulting group) of more than $1 billion in 2018.
The site was founded by Craig Newmark, who started it as an email list to friends about happenings in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995. Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, has been in his job for two decades.
"They're both just old-school engineer type guys who just really believe in keeping the design as simple and functional as possible," Lingel says. "[I]t's never had a competitor that was really able to swallow up its user base. It's had loyal customers all along, loyal users all along, so it's just never been forced to adapt."
Craigslist doesn't run banner ads, and according to Lingel, it doesn't sell user data to third parties. It makes money by charging a small number of users to post ads.
"Ads like job postings, real estate ads, if you're like a car dealer, furniture dealer, you have to pay a small amount of money, we're talking like $5 to $25 — and that's this entire revenue stream," Lingel says.
But for most people, it's totally free. It's become the biggest market for classified ads on the Internet.
Craigslist is also different for being anonymous. Authorities accused the site of facilitating prostitution; it dropped its longtime "personals" section in the U.S. two years ago after Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which aimed to crack down on child sex trafficking. Reports through the years describe Craigslist's role in helping accused killers, rapists, robbers and scammers find their victims.
As Craigslist celebrates 25 years this year, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly spoke to Lingel, who is also an assistant professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania, about how the site has managed to keep on keeping on.
Interview highlights contain extended Web-only content.
Interview Highlights
On Craigslist users posting anonymously, contrary to sites such as Facebook
That policy goes back to Craigslist's early days in the 1990s when it was very common to be anonymous online or pseudonymous, you know, using pseudonyms or fake names. And just like they haven't changed their appearance, they have never let go of that policy. And they see that policy as providing a form of protection and privacy to their users.
So it is true that there have been some, you know, very violent crimes. There's been scams on Craigslist. But of course, there are also scams on platforms that we think of as much classier or much safer. There's scams on LinkedIn, on eBay, on Facebook. So it isn't so much that the anonymity means that crime happens. It just means that we have a policy to blame. So we do tend to blame the platform more when we can't point at individual users because we don't know anything about them.
On what she's learned about how Craigslist compares to other sites when it comes to discrimination
I heard over and over again this sense that Craigslist is part of the poor people's Internet. And what participants and people I interviewed meant by that was that Craigslist sort of has this stigma that using it means you're lower class, using it means you're sort of hard up. But it also meant that people of color, poor people, found that they could use the site in a way that really made sense for them.
So on a platform like Airbnb, for example, if you're trying to get a rental, people can discriminate against you based on how you look. We actually know for a fact that there have been these high-profile incidents on Airbnb of hosts discriminating against guests because of their name or what they look like.
So suddenly on a site like Craigslist, you can rent an apartment, you can try and search for a job. And you don't have to worry about people discriminating against you because you're anonymous.
On Craigslist and the future of the Internet
I've been studying digital culture for about 10 years and I've always been interested in platforms that are sort of outside the mainstream. And one thing that really interests me about Craigslist is that it's been online for so long, and it hasn't had to change its politics. So Craigslist holds onto these early 1990s Web values about a platform being truly accessible, the platform being open and a platform that doesn't change its appearance. And in that sense, Craigslist reminds us there's a path that a company can take, and it can feel democratic and it can feel less commercial and still be incredibly successful. You know, you don't have to sacrifice your profits in order to protect user data.
NPR's Elena Burnett and Emily Kopp produced and edited the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-02-24--Some Oregonians Want To Leave And Take Part Of The State To Idaho With Them

Some Oregonians Want To Leave And Take Part Of The State To Idaho With Them Some rural Oregonians are so frustrated by Democratic politics they want to leave the state .
But not by moving elsewhere .
Instead , a group is seeking to change the map itself , so that most of Oregon and a chunk of Northern California would break off and join Idaho , a Republican-majority state .
`` Move Oregon 's Border For a Greater Idaho '' succeeded in getting petitions approved for circulation in two rural Oregon counties this month .
This is only the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to spark popular interest , despite being practically infeasible for a long list of legal , political and economic reasons .
`` It 's a movement to try to maintain our rural values , '' said Move Oregon 's Border spokesman Mike McCarter , a 73-year-old retired nurseryman and firearms instructor from the Central Oregon town of LaPine , population 1,900 .
More than half of all Oregonians live in the Portland metro area , 200 miles from McCarter .
He said policy set by a predominantly urban , Democratic super-majority in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative , rural areas of the state .
`` We 're afraid of what 's coming down legislatively .
It 'll destroy rural Oregon , '' he said , adding : `` I grew up in the 50s and 60s , and it was a great time .
It was a blue collar state , a state of hardworking people . ''
The messaging hits cultural flash points .
Idaho has more permissive gun laws , and more restrictions on abortion .
The state does n't allow sanctuary cities , nor does it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aliens , '' to quote from a proposed ballot measure in the group 's literature .
National media coverage exploded the group 's social media following last week , after officials in Douglas and Josephine counties approved language for petitions to put a measure on the ballot .
But , even a widespread yes-vote by the rural counties in an election would n't change any state boundaries .
That would require agreement from three state legislatures , and Congress .
The ballot measures direct individual county commissions to become advocates for the cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see this moment is as a form of political protest and political theater , '' said political scientist Joe Lowndes , an associate professor at the University of Oregon specializing in populist movements .
Rallying people around state lines , and secessionist causes , has a rich history in the Pacfic Northwest .
In 1941 , ranchers , miners , and loggers on the California-Oregon border staged a rebellion and proclaimed themselves citizens of a 51st state , the State of Jefferson .
The symbols of this cause continue to dominate flags and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent protest in Salem over cap-and-trade legislation to address climate change .
Then there 's the Cascadia Independence movement , which seeks to erase state lines and form an environmentally conscious bioregion .
Meanwhile numerous right-leaning groups and militias energize followers across the West by challenging federal authority and trumpeting county-based rule over natural resources .
The movements veer all over the political map , Lowndes said , but there are threads to bind them , like an emphasis on local control and self-determination .
He traces the ideas back to Manifest Destiny @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white supremacy and the colonization of indigenous lands .
Moving state lines is a process laid out in the U.S. Constitution , `` particularly article four , section three , '' said Shaakirrah Sanders , professor of constitutional law at the University of Idaho .
But even with a road map , there are likely deal breakers .
California and Oregon would lose population , and therefore representatives in Congress , `` and that 's usually not something that states like to have happen , '' Sanders said .
There 's another big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling of marijuana .
Legal cannabis has become a pillar of the rural economy in Oregon and California , while Idaho still has some of the harshest laws in the country criminalizing it .
Sanders , a black woman who lives in Boise , said she 's gotten used to contradictions in American society .
She 's devoted a career to a document that when it was written , codified both freedom and slavery .
`` It 's not that strange to me that the same constitution that protects an LGBTQ person 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitution that someone wants to use to create a super conservative mega state , '' Sanders said .
Now , that same constitution sets the rules of engagement for a conflict over what it means to be an Oregonian .

Some Oregonians Want To Leave And Take Part Of The State To Idaho With Them
Enlarge this image toggle caption Bradley Parks/OPB Bradley Parks/OPB
Some rural Oregonians are so frustrated by Democratic politics that they want to leave the state.
But not by moving elsewhere.
Instead, a group is seeking to change the map itself, so that most of Oregon and a chunk of Northern California would break off and join Idaho, a Republican-majority state. Move Oregon's Border For a Greater Idaho succeeded in getting petitions approved for circulation in two rural Oregon counties this month.
This is only the latest separatist cause in Pacific Northwest history to spark popular interest, despite being practically infeasible for a long list of legal, political and economic reasons.
"It's a movement to try to maintain our rural values," said Move Oregon's Border spokesman Mike McCarter, a 73-year-old retired nurseryman and firearms instructor from the Central Oregon town of La Pine, population 1,900.
More than half of all Oregonians live in the Portland metro area, 200 miles from McCarter. He said policy set by a predominantly urban, Democratic supermajority in the state legislature is fomenting frustration in the conservative, rural areas of the state.
History 'The Hidden Light Of Northern Fires' Illuminates Little-Known Civil War Story 'The Hidden Light Of Northern Fires' Illuminates Little-Known Civil War Story Listen · 6:36 6:36
"We're afraid of what's coming down legislatively. It'll destroy rural Oregon," he said, adding: "I grew up in the '50s and '60s, and it was a great time. It was a blue-collar state, a state of hardworking people."
The messaging hits cultural flashpoints. Idaho has more permissive gun laws, and more restrictions on abortion. The state doesn't allow sanctuary cities, nor does it issue driver's licenses to immigrants in the country illegally, according to a proposed ballot measure in the group's literature.
National media coverage exploded the group's social media following last week, after officials in Douglas and Josephine counties approved language for petitions to put a measure on the ballot.
But, even a widespread yes vote by the rural counties in an election wouldn't change any state boundaries. Doing so would require agreement from three state legislatures and Congress. The ballot measures direct individual county commissions to become advocates for the cause.
"One of the ways to see this moment is as a form of political protest and political theater," said political scientist Joe Lowndes, an associate professor at the University of Oregon specializing in populist movements.
Rallying people around state lines and secessionist causes has a rich history in the Pacific Northwest. In 1941, ranchers, miners and loggers on the California-Oregon border staged a rebellion and proclaimed themselves citizens of the State of Jefferson. The symbols of this cause continue to dominate flags and T-shirts, like those seen at a recent protest in Salem over cap-and-trade legislation to address climate change.
Then there's the Cascadia Independence movement, which seeks to erase state lines and form an environmentally conscious bioregion. Meanwhile, numerous right-leaning groups and militias energize followers across the West by challenging federal authority and trumpeting county-based rule over natural resources.
The movements veer all over the political map, Lowndes said, but there are threads to bind them, like an emphasis on local control and self-determination. He traces the ideas back to Manifest Destiny, a 19th century doctrine that was used to justify white supremacy and the colonization of indigenous lands.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Emily Cureton/OPB Emily Cureton/OPB
Moving state lines is a process laid out in the U.S. Constitution, "particularly Article 4, Section 3," said Shaakirrah Sanders, professor of constitutional law at the University of Idaho.
But even with a road map, there are likely deal-breakers. California and Oregon would lose population, and therefore representatives in Congress, "and that's usually not something that states like to have happen," Sanders said.
There's another big, green problem: the growing and selling of marijuana.
Legal cannabis has become a pillar of the rural economy in Oregon and California, while Idaho still has some of the harshest laws in the country criminalizing it.
Sanders, a black woman who lives in Boise, said she has gotten used to contradictions in American society. She has devoted a career to a document that when it was written, codified both freedom and slavery.
"It's not that strange to me that the same constitution that protects an LGBTQ person's right to marry, is the same constitution that someone wants to use to create a superconservative megastate," Sanders said.
Now, that same constitution sets the rules of engagement for a conflict over what it means to be an Oregonian.


npr--2020-02-24--H1N1 Was The Last Pandemic. Here's Why COVID-19 Isn't Yet In That Category

H1N1 Was The Last Pandemic .
Here 's Why COVID-19 Is n't Yet In That Category Despite worrisome new outbreaks in Iran , Italy and South Korea , the coronavirus disease called COVID-19 is not currently a pandemic , the World Health Organization said today .
In fact , there are some encouraging trends , especially in Hubei Province , where most of the cases have been reported .
The epidemic there appears to have plateaued in late January and is continuing on a good trajectory .
Dr. Bruce Aylward led a WHO trip to China with a scientific delegation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told reporters in Beijing that trend is real .
Aylward said that he 'd spoken to a researcher in Wuhan who is testing potential drugs to treat COVID-19 `` and when I asked him what challenge they 're finding in trying to implement the trial , he said the single biggest one is recruiting new patients ... because of the drop in cases . ''
That 's a good kind of problem .
The message from China is that it 's not hopeless , he says .
It is possible to control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting to see countries like Italy take extremely aggressive actions , '' Aylward said .
`` What China has demonstrated is you have to do this , and if you do it you can save lives and prevent thousands of cases of what is a very difficult disease . ''
Getting the public 's full cooperation to do the simplest tasks is a reason for the success .
`` Believe it or not , the most valuable thing the whole population can do is wash its hands , continually , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as you 'd find in schools and large gatherings .
But restricting travel is not on Aylward 's list of useful actions .
`` You do n't have to lock down cities is the big message from China , in fact , '' he said .
The WHO scientific delegation 's task was to learn what worked in China and to spread the word .
But even during their brief trip , the disease was making serious inroads in South Korea , Iran and in Italy .
As of Monday morning , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran had reported 43 cases – including 8 deaths – and Italy added 48 cases to bring its national total to 124 .
`` There is a lot of speculation about whether this increase means that this epidemic has now become a pandemic , '' said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference in Geneva , Switzerland .
Assigning that label is n't simply a matter of whether a disease is on multiple continents , but whether it 's out of control and doing significant damage .
Those are decisions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease is a pandemic .
The term was last used for the H1N1 flu virus that struck in 2009 , sickening more than 60 million in the U.S. alone and killing some half a million worldwide .
`` Does this virus [ that causes COVID-19 ] have pandemic potential ? ''
Tedros asked rhetorically .
`` Absolutely it has .
Are we there yet ?
From our assessment , not yet . ''
There 's still time for countries to get in front of it .
The WHO 's top priorities are to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people such as those who are sick and elderly and to protect vulnerable countries .
Even the advanced nations of Europe have work to do , since their hospitals are pretty full these days with flu patients .
Those beds might be needed for coronavirus patients .
If the spread of the coronavirus in Europe can be slowed until the end of flu season , that '' will free up significant capacity of the health system , '' said Dr. Michael Ryan , executive director for the WHO 's Health Emergency Program .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a month or six weeks has a massive positive benefit . ''
Health officials in the United States know they ca n't count indefinitely on their current strategy — identifying every new case immediately and isolating those patients .
So they 're considering containment measures akin to what worked in China , such as school closings .
You can contact NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris at rharris @ npr.org .

H1N1 Was The Last Pandemic. Here's Why COVID-19 Isn't Yet In That Category
Enlarge this image toggle caption Pete Souza/AP Pete Souza/AP
Despite worrisome new outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea, the coronavirus disease called COVID-19 is not currently a pandemic, the World Health Organization said today.
In fact, there are some encouraging trends, especially in Hubei province, where most of the cases have been reported.
The epidemic there appears to have plateaued in late January and is continuing on a good trajectory. Dr. Bruce Aylward led a WHO trip to China with a scientific delegation that just concluded. On Sunday, he told reporters in Beijing that trend is real.
Aylward said that he'd spoken to a researcher in Wuhan who is testing potential drugs to treat COVID-19, "and when I asked him what challenge they're finding in trying to implement the trial, he said the single biggest one is recruiting new patients ... because of the drop in cases."
That's a good kind of problem. The message from China is that it's not hopeless, he says. It is possible to control this disease.
"Now we're starting to see countries like Italy take extremely aggressive actions," Aylward said. "What China has demonstrated is you have to do this, and if you do it you can save lives and prevent thousands of cases of what is a very difficult disease."
Getting the public's full cooperation to do the simplest tasks is a reason for the success.
"Believe it or not, the most valuable thing the whole population can do is wash its hands, continually," he said. Other useful measures include avoiding crowds, as you'd find in schools and large gatherings.
But restricting travel is not on Aylward's list of useful actions.
"You don't have to lock down cities is the big message from China, in fact," he said.
The WHO scientific delegation's task was to learn what worked in China and to spread the word. But even during their brief trip, the disease was making serious inroads in South Korea, Iran and Italy. As of Monday morning, South Korea had reported 763 cases, Iran had reported 43 cases — including eight deaths — and Italy added 48 cases to bring its national total to 124.
"There is a lot of speculation about whether this increase means that this epidemic has now become a pandemic," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference in Geneva.
Assigning that label isn't simply a matter of whether a disease is on multiple continents, but whether it's out of control and doing significant damage. Those are decisions that WHO makes before declaring that a disease is a pandemic. The term was last used for the H1N1 flu virus that struck in 2009, sickening more than 60 million in the U.S. alone and killing some half a million worldwide.
"Does this virus [that causes COVID-19] have pandemic potential?" Tedros asked rhetorically. "Absolutely it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, not yet."
There's still time for countries to get in front of it. The WHO's top priorities are to protect health care workers, to protect vulnerable people such as those who are sick and elderly, and to protect vulnerable countries.
Even the advanced nations of Europe have work to do, since their hospitals are pretty full these days with flu patients. Those beds might be needed for coronavirus patients.
If the spread of the coronavirus in Europe can be slowed until the end of flu season, that "will free up significant capacity of the health system," said Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director for the WHO's Health Emergency Program. "So even slowing down the virus by a month or six weeks has a massive positive benefit."
Health officials in the United States know they can't count indefinitely on their current strategy — identifying every new case immediately and isolating those patients. So they're considering containment measures akin to what worked in China, such as school closings.
You can contact NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris at rharris@npr.org.


npr--2020-02-24--Secretive Church Sect At The Center Of South Korea's Coronavirus Outbreak

Secretive Church Sect At The Center Of South Korea 's Coronavirus Outbreak South Korea 's government says it is in a critical struggle to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus from the disease 's epicenter in Daegu .
It has given itself four weeks to stabilize the situation in the city of 2.5 million , some 150 miles southeast of the capital , Seoul .
`` If authorities fail to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu , there is a high possibility that COVID-19 could spread nationwide , '' Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 833 cases , as of Monday , are in Daegu .
And most are connected to an obscure religious group called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus .
Case numbers doubled for several days in a row last week .
The virus spread to every major city and province in the country .
As a result , the government on Sunday raised the country 's virus alert level to red , its highest , for the first time since 2009 .
This gave authorities the power to shut down schools and restrict flights in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also advised all citizens showing symptoms of respiratory ailments or fever to stay away from work and school and to self-quarantine .
It 's not clear how many South Koreans will heed that advice .
And it 's highly unlikely that the government could impose draconian restrictions , locking down entire cities as in the case of China , says Kim Woo-joo , a doctor in the department of infectious disease at Korea University 's Guro Hospital in Seoul .
`` South Korea is a liberal democracy with the freedom of movement , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says , `` any lockdown now would already be too late , since Daegu is a transport hub through which many people have already passed . ''
`` The government and health authorities ' response has always been one step behind , '' he adds .
While neighboring Japan has expanded its ban on travelers from China 's Hubei province to include eastern Zhejiang province , for example , South Korea has not followed suit .
More than half a million people petitioned South Korea 's presidential office last month to ban all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ balked , apparently for economic and diplomatic reasons .
Despite the surge in case numbers , Kim does not believe the current situation warrants panic or despair .
He points out that South Korea 's well-regarded national health system has a solid track record of containing epidemics , including SARS ( severe acute respiratory syndrome ) in 2003 , H1N1 in 2009 and MERS ( Middle East respiratory syndrome ) in 2015 .
One reason case numbers appear to have grown rapidly is because of the country 's ability to test large numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afternoon , the health authorities had tested 31,923 people , with 20,292 tests coming back negative and 11,631 results still pending .
Other countries that claim they have no cases , Kim says , may actually lack the ability to detect them .
`` If the government , medical system and the people of South Korea organize the resources we have well and cooperate , then we can fully defeat this outbreak , and it will eventually come to an end , '' he says .
Health authorities are also focusing resources on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1984 by charismatic pastor Lee Man-hee , whose followers , estimated at up to 240,000 worldwide , believe he is the messiah .
Shincheonji is Korean for `` new heaven and earth . ''
Its critics say it 's a cult .
Authorities are not sure how the disease was first transmitted to the group , but investigators have been looking into it .
More than 9,000 Shincheonji members have been put under quarantine , and the government plans to test all of them for the virus .
Critics say the disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because of the way that it worships .
`` Shincheonji followers hold services sitting on the floor , without any chairs , '' packed together `` like bean sprouts , '' says Shin Hyun-uk , director of the Guri Cult Counseling Center , an organization in Gyeonggi province that works to extract members from the church .
Shin was a member of the Shincheonji group for 20 years , managing the church 's Bible study instructors , until 2006 .
`` A bigger problem is that they shout out 'amen ' after every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every few seconds .
And they do that at the top of their lungs , '' sending respiratory droplets flying everywhere , he adds .
These droplets are believed to transmit the coronavirus .
He says that group members proselytize in secret , without revealing their identity .
This is because many Koreans are wary of the group and its reputation .
As a result , this makes it difficult for people who may have been targeted to know whether they 've been in contact with a member of the sect .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they make it impossible for others to be cautious and self-quarantine themselves . ''
Critics allege that the church obstructed the coronavirus investigation by not cooperating with health authorities .
A petition on the presidential website , which has garnered more than half a million signatures , calls on the government to forcibly disband the group .
A spokesman for the Shincheonji group said in a videotaped statement over the weekend that the church is fully cooperating with health authorities , shutting down some 1,100 churches nationwide and sharing lists of followers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine potential coronavirus cases .
The statement also said that the group was a victim of the virus and called for the public and media to refrain from unfairly criticizing it .

Secretive Church Sect At The Center Of South Korea's Coronavirus Outbreak
Enlarge this image toggle caption Lee Moo-ryul/AP Lee Moo-ryul/AP
South Korea's government says it is in a critical struggle to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus from the disease's epicenter in Daegu. It has given itself four weeks to stabilize the situation in the city of 2.5 million, some 150 miles southeast of the capital, Seoul.
"If authorities fail to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in Daegu, there is a high possibility that COVID-19 could spread nationwide," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told reporters on Monday.
Most of South Korea's 833 cases, as of Monday, are in Daegu. And most are connected to an obscure religious group called the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
Case numbers doubled for several days in a row last week. The virus spread to every major city and province in the country. As a result, the government on Sunday raised the country's virus alert level to red, its highest, for the first time since 2009. This gave authorities the power to shut down schools and restrict flights in and out of the country. It also advised all citizens showing symptoms of respiratory ailments or fever to stay away from work and school and to self-quarantine.
It's not clear how many South Koreans will heed that advice. And it's highly unlikely that the government could impose draconian restrictions, locking down entire cities as in the case of China, says Kim Woo-joo, a doctor in the department of infectious disease at Korea University's Guro Hospital in Seoul.
"South Korea is a liberal democracy with the freedom of movement," he says. Besides, he says, "any lockdown now would already be too late, since Daegu is a transport hub through which many people have already passed."
"The government and health authorities' response has always been one step behind," he adds.
While neighboring Japan has expanded its ban on travelers from China's Hubei province to include eastern Zhejiang province, for example, South Korea has not followed suit. More than half a million people petitioned South Korea's presidential office last month to ban all visitors from China, but Seoul has balked, apparently for economic and diplomatic reasons.
Despite the surge in case numbers, Kim does not believe the current situation warrants panic or despair. He points out that South Korea's well-regarded national health system has a solid track record of containing epidemics, including SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2003, H1N1 in 2009 and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) in 2015.
One reason case numbers appear to have grown rapidly is because of the country's ability to test large numbers of people quickly. As of Monday afternoon, the health authorities had tested 31,923 people, with 20,292 tests coming back negative and 11,631 results still pending.
Other countries that claim they have no cases, Kim says, may actually lack the ability to detect them.
"If the government, medical system and the people of South Korea organize the resources we have well and cooperate, then we can fully defeat this outbreak, and it will eventually come to an end," he says.
Health authorities are also focusing resources on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, founded in 1984 by charismatic pastor Lee Man-hee, whose followers, estimated at up to 240,000 worldwide, believe he is the messiah. Shincheonji is Korean for "new heaven and earth." Its critics say it's a cult.
Authorities are not sure how the disease was first transmitted to the group, but investigators have been looking into it. More than 9,000 Shincheonji members have been put under quarantine, and the government plans to test all of them for the virus.
Critics say the disease may have spread within the church quickly because of the way that it worships. "Shincheonji followers hold services sitting on the floor, without any chairs," packed together "like bean sprouts," says Shin Hyun-uk, director of the Guri Cult Counseling Center, an organization in Gyeonggi province that works to extract members from the church. Shin was a member of the Shincheonji group for 20 years, managing the church's Bible study instructors, until 2006.
"A bigger problem is that they shout out 'amen' after every sentence the pastor utters, pretty much every few seconds. And they do that at the top of their lungs," sending respiratory droplets flying everywhere, he adds. These droplets are believed to transmit the coronavirus.
He says that group members proselytize in secret, without revealing their identity. This is because many Koreans are wary of the group and its reputation. As a result, this makes it difficult for people who may have been targeted to know whether they've been in contact with a member of the sect. "Because Shincheonji members cannot reveal themselves, they make it impossible for others to be cautious and self-quarantine themselves."
Critics allege that the church obstructed the coronavirus investigation by not cooperating with health authorities. A petition on the presidential website, which has garnered more than half a million signatures, calls on the government to forcibly disband the group.
A spokesman for the Shincheonji group said in a videotaped statement over the weekend that the church is fully cooperating with health authorities, shutting down some 1,100 churches nationwide and sharing lists of followers with authorities to help track down and quarantine potential coronavirus cases.
The statement also said that the group was a victim of the virus and called for the public and media to refrain from unfairly criticizing it.


npr--2020-02-24--Julian Assange Extradition Hearing Begins In London

The extradition hearing for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange began Monday in London — the latest turn in the legal saga of perhaps the world 's most famous secret-spiller .
American officials want Assange , 48 , brought to the U.S. to face charges .
The U.S. government lawyer , James Lewis , argued that the case is not about journalism or First Amendment rights , but about computer hacking and publishing unredacted classified documents .
`` Reporting or journalism is not an excuse for criminal activities or a license to break ordinary criminal laws , '' Lewis told the Woolwich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times .
Assange has been indicted in the U.S. on 18 counts related to illegally obtaining , receiving and disclosing classified information in 2010 .
He is accused of conspiring with Chelsea Manning , a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army , in a coordinated effort to compromise U.S. government computer networks , and obtain and publish classified documents related to national security .
`` These are ordinary criminal charges and any person , journalist or source who hacks or attempts to gain unauthorized access to a secure system or aids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty of computer misuse , '' Lewis said .
Assange 's lawyers will try to make their case later this week that the charges are politically motivated and that their client simply acted as a journalist and publisher .
His lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told Reuters that the U.S. approach to the case changed when the Obama administration ended and Trump assumed the presidency .
`` President Trump came into power with a new approach to freedom of speech and a new hostility to the press amounting effectively to declaring war on investigative journalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He said the indictment was brought `` not on the basis of new revelations , but because it had become politically expedient and desirable . ''
Outside the courthouse on Monday , protesters shouted for Assange 's release .
The noise was such that inside the courtroom , Assange said he could n't hear properly .
Over the weekend , figures including Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood participated in a rally in London 's Parliament Square against his extradition .
If convicted of all charges , Assange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison .
But Lewis argued that Assange would more likely be sentenced to 48 to 63 months , The Washington Post reports .
Assange has been in London 's Belmarsh prison since his expulsion in April from the Ecuadoran Embassy where he had taken refuge for seven years .
He had initially been sought for questioning by Sweden over rape and abuse allegations , but the inquiry was dropped in November , in part due to the long delay .
The British court will not rule on Assange 's guilt , but rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ request for his transfer so he can stand trial there .
The case against extradition may be difficult for Assange 's attorneys , given the historically close relationship between the U.S. and Britain .
`` There is a very , very high degree of mutual trust and deference between two friendly nations , '' Nick Vamos , a former head of extradition at Britain 's Crown Prosecution Service , told the Post .
`` So it takes an awful lot to persuade a U.K. court '' that the U.S. system is n't essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much political intrigue is swirling around . ''
The extradition case has the potential to drag on for months or years .
After this week 's hearings , the proceedings will continue in May .
The judge then is not expected to rule for several months , after which the losing side will likely appeal .
The case could be appealed to higher courts and possibly to the European Court of Human Rights .

Julian Assange Extradition Hearing Begins In London
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images
The extradition hearing for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange began Monday in London — the latest turn in the legal saga of perhaps the world's most famous secret-spiller.
American officials want Assange, 48, brought to the U.S. to face charges. The U.S. government lawyer, James Lewis, argued that the case is not about journalism or First Amendment rights, but about computer hacking and publishing unredacted classified documents. "Reporting or journalism is not an excuse for criminal activities or a license to break ordinary criminal laws," Lewis told the Woolwich Crown Court, according to The New York Times.
Assange has been indicted in the U.S. on 18 counts related to illegally obtaining, receiving and disclosing classified information in 2010. He is accused of conspiring with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, in a coordinated effort to compromise U.S. government computer networks, and obtain and publish classified documents related to national security.
"These are ordinary criminal charges and any person, journalist or source who hacks or attempts to gain unauthorized access to a secure system or aids and abets others to do so is guilty of computer misuse," Lewis said.
Assange's lawyers will try to make their case later this week that the charges are politically motivated and that their client simply acted as a journalist and publisher.
His lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told Reuters that the U.S. approach to the case changed when the Obama administration ended and Trump assumed the presidency.
"President Trump came into power with a new approach to freedom of speech and a new hostility to the press amounting effectively to declaring war on investigative journalists," Fitzgerald told the news service. He said the indictment was brought "not on the basis of new revelations, but because it had become politically expedient and desirable."
Outside the courthouse on Monday, protesters shouted for Assange's release. The noise was such that inside the courtroom, Assange said he couldn't hear properly. Over the weekend, figures including Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood participated in a rally in London's Parliament Square against his extradition.
If convicted of all charges, Assange faces a maximum of 175 years in prison. But Lewis argued that Assange would more likely be sentenced to 48 to 63 months, The Washington Post reports.
Assange has been in London's Belmarsh prison since his expulsion in April from the Ecuadoran Embassy where he had taken refuge for seven years. He had initially been sought for questioning by Sweden over rape and abuse allegations, but the inquiry was dropped in November, in part due to the long delay.
The British court will not rule on Assange's guilt, but rather whether to grant the U.S. government's request for his transfer so he can stand trial there.
The case against extradition may be difficult for Assange's attorneys, given the historically close relationship between the U.S. and Britain.
"There is a very, very high degree of mutual trust and deference between two friendly nations," Nick Vamos, a former head of extradition at Britain's Crown Prosecution Service, told the Post. "So it takes an awful lot to persuade a U.K. court" that the U.S. system isn't essentially fair, he says, "however much political intrigue is swirling around."
The extradition case has the potential to drag on for months or years. After this week's hearings, the proceedings will continue in May. The judge then is not expected to rule for several months, after which the losing side will likely appeal. The case could be appealed to higher courts and possibly to the European Court of Human Rights.