csmonitor--2020-03-11--Russia's latest reform allows Putin to stay in power past 2024

The Russian parliament approved a sweeping constitutional reform in the third and final reading Wednesday , a move that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for another 12 years after his current term ends in 2024 .
The Kremlin-controlled lower house , the State Duma , endorsed a set of amendments to the constitution and a provision resetting the term count for Putin after the revised constitution goes into force .
It passed by a 383-0 vote with 43 abstentions , and was approved by the upper house , the Federation Council , several hours later .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is set for April 22 .
Kremlin critics condemned the move as a cynical manipulation and called for protests .
Mr. Putin , a 67-year-old former KGB officer , has ruled Russia for more than 20 years .
After serving for two consecutive four-year terms – a limit outlined in the current version of the constitution – Mr. Putin shifted to prime minister 's seat in 2008 , with his close ally Dmitry Medvedev becoming a placeholder president .
The length of the presidency was extended to six years under Mr. Medvedev , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin as president .
In 2018 , he was re-elected for another six years .
Mr. Putin has weathered several international storms during his 20 years in power .
The 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula , which prompted a drawn-out , years-long conflict with Ukraine , significantly boosted his approval ratings back at home .
As Moscow 's relations with the West soured over the 2014 annexation and more scandals followed , the Kremlin kept Mr. Putin 's popularity high by painting Russia as a besieged fortress in need of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The constitutional reform passed by the Duma on Wednesday would allow Mr. Putin to run for presidency two more times after 2024 .
Before the national vote , it will be reviewed by Russia 's Constitutional Court .
The changes redistribute the executive powers of the Russian government in Moscow and further strengthen the power of the presidency , while also banning same-sex marriage and listing `` a belief in God '' as one of Russia 's traditional values .
The proposal to restart the term clock for the current president was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tereshkova , now a Duma deputy , during the second reading of the amendments on Tuesday .
Following Ms. Tereshkova 's speech , Mr. Putin quickly arrived at parliament to address the lawmakers and supported the idea .
The move prompted immediate calls for protests from various opposition groups .
On Tuesday night , about 200 people gathered near the Kremlin and lined up to hold solo pickets – the only form of protest in Russia that is legal without prior authorization from the government – against the reform .
`` It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being done to keep Putin in power forever , '' opposition activist Alexei Miniaylo , who called for the pickets on his Facebook page on Tuesday , told The Associated Press .
`` But the brazen manner in which it was done elicited outrage . ''
Two opposition groups called for a bigger rally in Moscow on March 21 or March 22 and applied for authorization with the city authorities .
Soon after , Moscow City Hall announced banning outdoor events with attendance of more than 5,000 until April 10 , saying it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the new coronavirus .
Activists remained unfazed , however , and on Wednesday morning refiled their requests , amending the maximum number of participants from 50,000 to 4,500 .
`` Our position is that if the coronavirus is such a dangerous threat , then they should cancel the vote [ on the constitutional reform ] , as it can expose millions of people to infection , '' Mikhail Svetov , leader of the Civil Society movement , told the AP .
`` And if it is not that dangerous , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pickets and protests were being organized in other Russian cities as well , said Tatyana Usmanova , an activist with the `` No '' group formed two months ago to coordinate the opposition effort against the reform .
`` It gets to people , because it is totally out of line , '' Ms. Usmanova said .
Activists and analysts agree , however , that large-scale protests will be harder to organize because of coronavirus fears that are likely to deter people from taking to the streets .
“ People are scared and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” independent political analyst Kirill Rogov told the AP .
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
Francesca Ebel contributed to this report .

The Russian parliament approved a sweeping constitutional reform in the third and final reading Wednesday, a move that will allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power for another 12 years after his current term ends in 2024.
The Kremlin-controlled lower house, the State Duma, endorsed a set of amendments to the constitution and a provision resetting the term count for Putin after the revised constitution goes into force. It passed by a 383-0 vote with 43 abstentions, and was approved by the upper house, the Federation Council, several hours later.
A nationwide vote on the proposed amendments is set for April 22.
Kremlin critics condemned the move as a cynical manipulation and called for protests.
Mr. Putin, a 67-year-old former KGB officer, has ruled Russia for more than 20 years. After serving for two consecutive four-year terms – a limit outlined in the current version of the constitution – Mr. Putin shifted to prime minister's seat in 2008, with his close ally Dmitry Medvedev becoming a placeholder president.
The length of the presidency was extended to six years under Mr. Medvedev, and in 2012 Mr. Putin returned to the Kremlin as president. In 2018, he was re-elected for another six years.
Mr. Putin has weathered several international storms during his 20 years in power. The 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which prompted a drawn-out, years-long conflict with Ukraine, significantly boosted his approval ratings back at home.
As Moscow's relations with the West soured over the 2014 annexation and more scandals followed, the Kremlin kept Mr. Putin's popularity high by painting Russia as a besieged fortress in need of a strong leader to withstand the outside pressure.
The constitutional reform passed by the Duma on Wednesday would allow Mr. Putin to run for presidency two more times after 2024. Before the national vote, it will be reviewed by Russia's Constitutional Court.
The changes redistribute the executive powers of the Russian government in Moscow and further strengthen the power of the presidency, while also banning same-sex marriage and listing "a belief in God" as one of Russia's traditional values.
The proposal to restart the term clock for the current president was put forward by former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, now a Duma deputy, during the second reading of the amendments on Tuesday. Following Ms. Tereshkova's speech, Mr. Putin quickly arrived at parliament to address the lawmakers and supported the idea.
The move prompted immediate calls for protests from various opposition groups. On Tuesday night, about 200 people gathered near the Kremlin and lined up to hold solo pickets – the only form of protest in Russia that is legal without prior authorization from the government – against the reform.
"It was clear from the start that it is being done to keep Putin in power forever," opposition activist Alexei Miniaylo, who called for the pickets on his Facebook page on Tuesday, told The Associated Press. "But the brazen manner in which it was done elicited outrage."
Two opposition groups called for a bigger rally in Moscow on March 21 or March 22 and applied for authorization with the city authorities. Soon after, Moscow City Hall announced banning outdoor events with attendance of more than 5,000 until April 10, saying it was part of precautionary steps to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Activists remained unfazed, however, and on Wednesday morning refiled their requests, amending the maximum number of participants from 50,000 to 4,500. "Our position is that if the coronavirus is such a dangerous threat, then they should cancel the vote [on the constitutional reform], as it can expose millions of people to infection," Mikhail Svetov, leader of the Civil Society movement, told the AP. "And if it is not that dangerous, then rallies should be allowed."
Pickets and protests were being organized in other Russian cities as well, said Tatyana Usmanova, an activist with the "No" group formed two months ago to coordinate the opposition effort against the reform.
"It gets to people, because it is totally out of line," Ms. Usmanova said.
Activists and analysts agree, however, that large-scale protests will be harder to organize because of coronavirus fears that are likely to deter people from taking to the streets.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
“People are scared and less prone to gather for large demonstrations,” independent political analyst Kirill Rogov told the AP.
This story was reported by The Associated Press. Francesca Ebel contributed to this report.


csmonitor--2020-05-04--Supreme Court livestreams hearings for first time. Three questions.

“ It would have been impossible to avoid a charge of hypocrisy that some listen live and others can ’ t , ” says Josh Blackman , a professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston .
The high court clearly felt that some major , time-sensitive cases needed to be argued , however .
With in-person arguments off the table , they took a cue from lower courts around the country by holding arguments over the phone .
And if arguments were going to be telephonic , they would have to be broadcast live .
The generational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the main reason .
The outbreak forced the high court to suspend oral arguments in March and April , and like millions of other Americans , the justices have been working from home .
Numerous state and federal courts have been livestreaming arguments for years – and have expanded the practice during the pandemic .
But the technophobic Supreme Court had resisted calls to follow suit .
This month , however , the justices will hear arguments in 10 cases via telephone conference , with audio from the arguments broadcast live on C-SPAN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for the first time , oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court are broadcast live to the public .
History will be made Monday when , for the first time , oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court are broadcast live to the public .
Numerous state and federal courts have been livestreaming arguments for years – and have expanded the practice during the pandemic .
But to the frustration of transparency advocates , the technophobic Supreme Court had resisted calls to follow suit .
This month , however , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases via telephone conference , with audio from the arguments broadcast live on C-SPAN .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
Why did the court change now ?
The generational crisis that is the coronavirus pandemic is the main reason .
The outbreak forced the high court to suspend oral arguments in March and April for the first time since the 1918 influenza outbreak , and like millions of other Americans , the justices have been working from home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some major , time-sensitive cases needed to be argued , however .
With in-person arguments off the table , they took a cue from lower courts around the country by holding arguments over the phone .
And if arguments were going to be telephonic , they would have to be broadcast live .
“ It would have been impossible to avoid a charge of hypocrisy that some listen live and others can ’ t , ” says Josh Blackman , a professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston .
Plus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the arguments being leaked or eavesdropped on , he adds .
Why has the court been so hesitant ?
The Supreme Court has always been slow to embrace change , particularly when it involves new technology or systemic change .
The court ’ s most recent adoption came in 2017 when it made new court filings available online – years behind the rest of the federal court system .
As for livestreaming oral arguments specifically , the high court has resisted for various reasons , including concerns that it could have a chilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from justices and advocates – over thoughtful questions and arguments .
The court has developed in recent decades into a “ hot bench , ” meaning the justices like to pepper advocates with questions and hypotheticals , often interrupting or talking over each other .
And for this month ’ s historic arguments , the lack of visual cues may have brought more confusion than clarity .
The court hoped to solve that issue by having justices ask questions in order of seniority .
But it still puts advocates “ in a tough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ because they ’ re not going to know how the justices are reacting to their positions.
” Will streamed hearings continue after the pandemic ?
Oral arguments are the public ’ s only opportunity to see the high court in action , and they are notoriously inaccessible – to the point that those who want to attend will pay $ 35 to $ 50 an hour to someone to hold a spot in the line outside the court for public seating .
( Except for select cases , audio of oral arguments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the week . )
Such restricted access can fuel damaging misperceptions about the high court , argues Gabe Roth , executive director of Fix the Court , a nonpartisan organization that advocates for increased transparency and accountability in federal courts .
“ You can ’ t know what you can ’ t see , ” he says .
“ Any general transparency would demonstrate to the American people that by and large the court is operating outside of politics.
” Furthermore , 43 state supreme courts and six federal appeals courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , either routinely or by request , according to Fix the Court .
And they ’ ve reported few problems .
“ This has been done before , and it ’ s been done in a way that helps educate the public , ” says Mr. Roth .
Professor Blackman agrees that while the court ’ s hand has been forced , now that arguments will have been livestreamed “ it ’ s hard to put this genie back in this bottle.
” Some experts are skeptical , though .
For an institution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology , as the world returns to normal the justices could choose to do just that : return to normal .
“ The fact they ’ re so slow to come onto technology even in this crisis , ” says Steven Schwinn , a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago , “ and that they ’ re doing it in such a modest way , signals that this isn ’ t a court that ’ s rushing into the technological age.
” Editor ’ s note : As a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free .
No paywall .

“It would have been impossible to avoid a charge of hypocrisy that some listen live and others can’t,” says Josh Blackman, a professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston.
The high court clearly felt that some major, time-sensitive cases needed to be argued, however. With in-person arguments off the table, they took a cue from lower courts around the country by holding arguments over the phone. And if arguments were going to be telephonic, they would have to be broadcast live.
The generational crisis that is the coronavirus pandemic is the main reason. The outbreak forced the high court to suspend oral arguments in March and April, and like millions of other Americans, the justices have been working from home.
The Supreme Court does not adopt change lightly. When it does – as with its first livestreamed hearings – it is worth understanding why, and what took the high court so long to make the shift.
Numerous state and federal courts have been livestreaming arguments for years – and have expanded the practice during the pandemic. But the technophobic Supreme Court had resisted calls to follow suit. This month, however, the justices will hear arguments in 10 cases via telephone conference, with audio from the arguments broadcast live on C-SPAN.
History will be made Monday when, for the first time, oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court are broadcast live to the public.
History will be made Monday when, for the first time, oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court are broadcast live to the public.
Numerous state and federal courts have been livestreaming arguments for years – and have expanded the practice during the pandemic. But to the frustration of transparency advocates, the technophobic Supreme Court had resisted calls to follow suit. This month, however, the justices will hear arguments in 10 cases via telephone conference, with audio from the arguments broadcast live on C-SPAN.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
Why We Wrote This The Supreme Court does not adopt change lightly. When it does – as with its first livestreamed hearings – it is worth understanding why, and what took the high court so long to make the shift.
Why did the court change now?
The generational crisis that is the coronavirus pandemic is the main reason. The outbreak forced the high court to suspend oral arguments in March and April for the first time since the 1918 influenza outbreak, and like millions of other Americans, the justices have been working from home.
The high court clearly felt that some major, time-sensitive cases needed to be argued, however. With in-person arguments off the table, they took a cue from lower courts around the country by holding arguments over the phone. And if arguments were going to be telephonic, they would have to be broadcast live.
“It would have been impossible to avoid a charge of hypocrisy that some listen live and others can’t,” says Josh Blackman, a professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston.
Plus there would have been the risk of the arguments being leaked or eavesdropped on, he adds.
Why has the court been so hesitant?
The Supreme Court has always been slow to embrace change, particularly when it involves new technology or systemic change. The court’s most recent adoption came in 2017 when it made new court filings available online – years behind the rest of the federal court system.
As for livestreaming oral arguments specifically, the high court has resisted for various reasons, including concerns that it could have a chilling effect, or encourage sound bites – from justices and advocates – over thoughtful questions and arguments.
The court has developed in recent decades into a “hot bench,” meaning the justices like to pepper advocates with questions and hypotheticals, often interrupting or talking over each other. And for this month’s historic arguments, the lack of visual cues may have brought more confusion than clarity.
The court hoped to solve that issue by having justices ask questions in order of seniority. But it still puts advocates “in a tough spot,” Professor Blackman says, “because they’re not going to know how the justices are reacting to their positions.”
Will streamed hearings continue after the pandemic?
Oral arguments are the public’s only opportunity to see the high court in action, and they are notoriously inaccessible – to the point that those who want to attend will pay $35 to $50 an hour to someone to hold a spot in the line outside the court for public seating. (Except for select cases, audio of oral arguments isn’t posted online until the end of the week.)
Such restricted access can fuel damaging misperceptions about the high court, argues Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for increased transparency and accountability in federal courts.
“You can’t know what you can’t see,” he says. “Any general transparency would demonstrate to the American people that by and large the court is operating outside of politics.”
Furthermore, 43 state supreme courts and six federal appeals courts already livestream argument via video or audio, either routinely or by request, according to Fix the Court. And they’ve reported few problems.
“This has been done before, and it’s been done in a way that helps educate the public,” says Mr. Roth.
Professor Blackman agrees that while the court’s hand has been forced, now that arguments will have been livestreamed “it’s hard to put this genie back in this bottle.”
Some experts are skeptical, though. For an institution with a historic reticence to adopt new technology, as the world returns to normal the justices could choose to do just that: return to normal.
“The fact they’re so slow to come onto technology even in this crisis,” says Steven Schwinn, a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, “and that they’re doing it in such a modest way, signals that this isn’t a court that’s rushing into the technological age.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-03-04--Forced online by virus, China's schools grapple with censors

Less than 30 minutes into a lecture on bioinformatics , Chu Xinjian 's class was abruptly cut short .
It was the first day of an unusual semester .
Across China , schools were shut indefinitely in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus .
Mr. Chu 's class was one of tens of thousands of courses , from grade school to university , that have been forced online .
Mr. Chu 's professor was painstakingly sending voice recordings to the class group chat when , without warning , the system disbanded the group for violating China 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mundane part of life under Communist Party rule .
The students were puzzled .
Was it because of something about the subject matter ?
Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data .
`` I 'm not sure exactly what phrases triggered it , '' said Mr. Chu , who recounted the incident .
`` I guess we touched on some sensitive topic . ''
Major social media platforms including Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter are blocked in China , while homegrown ones such as Weibo and WeChat are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the state Cyberspace Administration and police .
Now , the sudden arrival of public education onto platforms that are generally the domain of celebrity livestreamers has thrown the controls into stark relief .
Classrooms are confronting the ubiquity and often arbitrary nature of the ruling Communist Party 's online censorship .
Biology courses have been blocked for `` pornographic content . ''
History and politics classes are among the most vulnerable ; subjects such as the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward are regularly censored in classes and online discussions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ populous nation has undergone a radical transformation in the past six weeks .
Once-bustling streets are empty , fast-food restaurants offer only takeout service , and group activities have been replaced with remote everything – remote work , remote fitness class , remote schooling .
`` Classes have stopped but learning will not , '' the Education Ministry said in a February notice .
It has established 24,000 free online courses on 22 web platforms , covering both undergraduate and vocational disciplines .
Yet many lesson plans have been stymied by the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a middle school history teacher in northeast China , said his workload has ballooned because of an arduous approval process for online classes .
While teachers have some leeway to facilitate spontaneous discussion in a classroom setting , online classes can be recorded , with the potential for clips to be taken out of context and circulated online .
`` Every word that is spoken in a video recording must be pre-approved , ” Mr. Wang said .
For him , that means writing word-for-word his entire lecture – about 5,000 Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Even seemingly non-controversial statements can run afoul of the censors .
Mr. Wang said one of his colleagues , a politics teacher , was trying to upload a document for his students with `` socialism with Chinese characteristics '' in its title .
The phrase was championed by former leader Deng Xiaoping and is still frequently used by the government today .
For reasons unexplained , the cloud platform blocked the document .
It could be uploaded only after the overtly political phrase was removed .
Teachers are using workarounds to skirt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the messaging app WeChat , documents can be rejected for transmission to a group chat if a file fails a `` safety inspection . ''
The same documents , however , can often be shared in direct messages , so some teachers have resorted to sending files to parents and students one-by-one .
`` Teachers having their online classes blocked , that 's funny , because it 's too absurd , '' Wang Yuechi , a well-known Chinese comedian wrote on his verified account on Weibo , an app similar to Twitter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's because there 's no freedom of speech , '' he wrote .
`` Just like how it 's not normal that this post will also be deleted .
I hope everyone can be aware of this .
The absence of freedom of speech will impact our education , our lives .
This has already happened .
It 's not so funny now , is it ? ''
As Mr. Wang predicted , his post can no longer be viewed on Weibo .
Not every online class mishap involves censorship .
Sometimes technical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a university student in the southern province of Jiangsu , inadvertently became the host of a lecture on the first day of online classes last month .
When class was set to start , her philosophy professor was nowhere to be found , Ms. Cheng said .
The professor was logged onto a different platform ; meanwhile , the other one had designated Ms. Cheng as group administrator .
Their professor fared no better on the second platform .
Internet connection issues resulted in Ms. Cheng and her classmates tuning into two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unwitting professor wrote in their class group chat , `` See you next time ! ''
This story was reported by The Associated Press .
AP receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

Less than 30 minutes into a lecture on bioinformatics, Chu Xinjian's class was abruptly cut short.
It was the first day of an unusual semester. Across China, schools were shut indefinitely in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Chu's class was one of tens of thousands of courses, from grade school to university, that have been forced online.
Mr. Chu's professor was painstakingly sending voice recordings to the class group chat when, without warning, the system disbanded the group for violating China's internet regulations – a pervasive, almost mundane part of life under Communist Party rule.
The students were puzzled. Was it because of something about the subject matter? Bioinformatics is the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data. "I'm not sure exactly what phrases triggered it," said Mr. Chu, who recounted the incident. "I guess we touched on some sensitive topic."
Major social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are blocked in China, while homegrown ones such as Weibo and WeChat are heavily monitored and scrubbed for offensive content by the state Cyberspace Administration and police.
Now, the sudden arrival of public education onto platforms that are generally the domain of celebrity livestreamers has thrown the controls into stark relief. Classrooms are confronting the ubiquity and often arbitrary nature of the ruling Communist Party's online censorship.
Biology courses have been blocked for "pornographic content." History and politics classes are among the most vulnerable; subjects such as the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward are regularly censored in classes and online discussions.
Daily life in the world's most populous nation has undergone a radical transformation in the past six weeks. Once-bustling streets are empty, fast-food restaurants offer only takeout service, and group activities have been replaced with remote everything – remote work, remote fitness class, remote schooling.
"Classes have stopped but learning will not," the Education Ministry said in a February notice. It has established 24,000 free online courses on 22 web platforms, covering both undergraduate and vocational disciplines.
Yet many lesson plans have been stymied by the country's strict online regulators.
Louis Wang, a middle school history teacher in northeast China, said his workload has ballooned because of an arduous approval process for online classes.
While teachers have some leeway to facilitate spontaneous discussion in a classroom setting, online classes can be recorded, with the potential for clips to be taken out of context and circulated online.
"Every word that is spoken in a video recording must be pre-approved,” Mr. Wang said.
For him, that means writing word-for-word his entire lecture – about 5,000 Chinese characters – for review by school administrators.
Even seemingly non-controversial statements can run afoul of the censors.
Mr. Wang said one of his colleagues, a politics teacher, was trying to upload a document for his students with "socialism with Chinese characteristics" in its title. The phrase was championed by former leader Deng Xiaoping and is still frequently used by the government today.
For reasons unexplained, the cloud platform blocked the document. It could be uploaded only after the overtly political phrase was removed.
Teachers are using workarounds to skirt a variety of digital obstacles. On the messaging app WeChat, documents can be rejected for transmission to a group chat if a file fails a "safety inspection."
The same documents, however, can often be shared in direct messages, so some teachers have resorted to sending files to parents and students one-by-one.
"Teachers having their online classes blocked, that's funny, because it's too absurd," Wang Yuechi, a well-known Chinese comedian wrote on his verified account on Weibo, an app similar to Twitter.
"This is not normal – it's because there's no freedom of speech," he wrote. "Just like how it's not normal that this post will also be deleted. I hope everyone can be aware of this. The absence of freedom of speech will impact our education, our lives. This has already happened. It's not so funny now, is it?"
As Mr. Wang predicted, his post can no longer be viewed on Weibo.
Not every online class mishap involves censorship. Sometimes technical difficulties are the culprit.
Cheng Yufan, a university student in the southern province of Jiangsu, inadvertently became the host of a lecture on the first day of online classes last month.
When class was set to start, her philosophy professor was nowhere to be found, Ms. Cheng said. The professor was logged onto a different platform; meanwhile, the other one had designated Ms. Cheng as group administrator.
Their professor fared no better on the second platform. Internet connection issues resulted in Ms. Cheng and her classmates tuning into two hours of silence.
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Afterwards, the unwitting professor wrote in their class group chat, "See you next time!"
This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


Daily for May 15, 2020

When Mohammed Amanat migrated from the rural Indian state of Bihar to a teeming New Delhi five years ago , it was with the idea of becoming a better provider for the family the young man hoped to have .
In his modest way , Mr. Amanat has accomplished his mission .
Now with a daughter and a son , and a third child on the way , Mr. Amanat has always earned enough – first at a tobacco company and more recently as a day laborer in construction – to feed his growing family .
His wife , Gulshan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from her husband ’ s $ 4-a-day pay to occasionally buy the children milk , or add chicken or vegetables to the dals and curries she prepared over the open fire in the family ’ s one-room corrugated-metal shanty .
But now with the pandemic , those days of relative plenty are over .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .
With India ’ s strict lockdown only now loosening , Mr. Amanat has not worked since March .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to accept a handout – rations of lentils , flour , oil , salt , and spices provided by an American charity working with the Delhi police to organize weekly food distributions .
“ I never had to accept rations before , but now we have no other choice , ” he says via videocall , seated under a corrugated metal awning with his family .
Already three months behind on rent , he says if he can ’ t work soon his only option would be to return to Bihar .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are even worse there .
Food is becoming scarce and they don ’ t have rations , ” he adds .
“ How could I do that to my family ?
” Mr. Amanat is not alone in his predicament .
Around the world , millions of fathers and mothers who have always been able to feed their families are encountering food insecurity for the first time .
Strict lockdowns like India ’ s have eliminated informal and menial jobs , leaving tens of millions with no income .
At the same time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t distribute their produce .
The prospect of widespread food shortages and disrupted supply chains has prompted the World Food Program – which was already predicting that 2020 could find more than 135 million people in severe hunger – to warn that the added punch of the pandemic will mean unprecedented famine and starvation unless the world takes prompt and coordinated action .
“ This is not a Chicken-Little-the-sky-is-falling situation , ” says David Beasley , executive director of the World Food Program ( WFP ) , the United Nations ’ famine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest humanitarian agency .
“ If we don ’ t act now , ” he adds , “ we are going to have famine of biblical proportions.
” The tell-it-like-it-is former governor of South Carolina , who has built a can-do reputation with global leaders , says a “ perfect storm ” of events could leave more than a quarter of a billion people in severe hunger : the refugee-fueled worst humanitarian crisis since World War II , the pandemic , and now a plague of desert locusts destroying 1 million acres of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States and other developed countries are also seeing food supply chains disrupted , shortages of some products like meat , and rising hunger .
But as worrisome as that is , experts say the food insecurity in developing and poor countries is of a different order .
“ I ’ m not talking about people going to bed hungry , ” says Mr. Beasley , addressing a recent Atlantic Council webinar .
“ You could have 150,000 to 300,000 people dying a day if this thing does not get addressed promptly.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts would add a fourth factor to Mr. Beasley ’ s perfect storm .
A nationalist wave has turned many countries inward , prioritizing domestic issues such as the health and economic impacts of the pandemic .
Global leaders , including the United States , are stepping up , Mr. Beasley says , though he maintains they still must do more .
At the same time , the world is benefiting from a new wave of young food-production and supply-chain entrepreneurs , many of whom got their start in climate activism and see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essential activities , from farming to food delivery .
Mr. Beasley says he has heard the dire warnings of donor fatigue after years of acute crisis , but insists he ’ s not seeing it .
In particular , he rejects the widespread view that the U.S. is retreating from its leadership role .
“ We keep hearing that the U.S. has backed off its multilateral commitments , ” he says , before pointing to a near doubling in U.S. funding of the WFP over the last three years .
“ The message @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is ] not backing down.
” Under President Barack Obama , he notes , U.S. funding of the WFP reached a new high of $ 1.9 billion ( of about a $ 6 billion budget ) .
Last year under the Trump administration , the U.S. contribution climbed to $ 3.4 billion ( of a total $ 8.3 billion raised for food programs ) .
Still , Mr. Beasley says last year ’ s budget will be “ nowhere near enough ” to stave off the dire levels of food insecurity and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ czar says he is focused on getting major donors like the U.S. and Germany to send their contributions now .
“ What I ’ m saying is ... go ahead and give us now what you ’ re going to give us ... so we can pre-position food before the worst of the food supply-chain breakdown sets in.
” Another message Mr. Beasley emphasizes to world leaders is that acting now to nip looming famine in the bud will mitigate the instability that accompanies severe hunger – and which reverberates to undermine countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarms some food supply experts is that they ’ re not seeing the international community coming together to address a looming global food crisis the way it has in the past – as in 2007-08 , when prices of basic food commodities suddenly spiked .
“ In response to the last [ food ] crisis , you saw a huge and sudden mobilization of effort , and agreement around principles to follow to address food insecurity worldwide , and money put behind those efforts , ” says Caitlin Welsh , director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global food security program in Washington .
“ At this point , we haven ’ t seen that mobilization.
” Noting moreover that in 2007-08 it was the Group of Seven wealthy countries and the G-20 most-developed countries that led a global effort , she adds , “ [ We ] haven ’ t seen them yet , which is disappointing.
” Ms. Welsh , who directed the National Security Council ’ s global economic engagement in the Obama White House , says the multilateral organizations ’ focus in the last food crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealing a new set of priorities , she adds .
“ The response this crisis calls for is looking at food systems , so not just farm production but … food transportation , labor , food processing , storage , and then marketing , ” she says .
“ The response we ’ re going to see , I hope , is a different one , and broader than the response to the last crisis.
” Echoes of Ms. Welsh ’ s thinking can be heard in the ideas of Ndéye Marie Aïda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Senegal .
Ms. Ndieguene describes a Senegal under lockdown that is not unlike Mr. Amanat ’ s India .
“ So many people work in the informal sectors of the economy that aren ’ t functioning right now , but at the same time the government has banned movement between regions of the country , so that makes it difficult for farmers to get their produce to market , ” says Ms. Ndieguene .
“ That combination has many people here declaring , ‘ We are not going to die of COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ” But Ms. Ndieguene , who has won international awards for her design of a food warehouse that reduces food loss , is springing into action to help address Senegal ’ s spiking food insecurity .
Starting with the farming contacts she made through her warehouse project , she has developed a digital community marketplace that links farmers and their products with new markets .
She is also nurturing a farming community of 150 women and girls who are interested in particular in ways to support Senegalese women .
What Ms. Ndieguene @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while a dire threat to so many , is also prompting new thinking and innovative solutions to a problem like food insecurity .
“ Of course the pandemic is not something good – people are sick , people are dying , people are going hungry , ” she says .
“ But it is also providing the occasion for all of us to stop and consider new ways and new solutions , and not just about food security .
It ’ s a general stop for all humanity , ” she adds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how we are living.
” Editor ’ s note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall .

From pandemic to famine: Can world meet food crisis fast enough? Collapse
When Mohammed Amanat migrated from the rural Indian state of Bihar to a teeming New Delhi five years ago, it was with the idea of becoming a better provider for the family the young man hoped to have.
In his modest way, Mr. Amanat has accomplished his mission. Now with a daughter and a son, and a third child on the way, Mr. Amanat has always earned enough – first at a tobacco company and more recently as a day laborer in construction – to feed his growing family.
His wife, Gulshan Khatoon, even managed to save enough from her husband’s $4-a-day pay to occasionally buy the children milk, or add chicken or vegetables to the dals and curries she prepared over the open fire in the family’s one-room corrugated-metal shanty.
But now with the pandemic, those days of relative plenty are over.
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.
With India’s strict lockdown only now loosening, Mr. Amanat has not worked since March. For the first time ever he’s had to accept a handout – rations of lentils, flour, oil, salt, and spices provided by an American charity working with the Delhi police to organize weekly food distributions.
“I never had to accept rations before, but now we have no other choice,” he says via videocall, seated under a corrugated metal awning with his family. Already three months behind on rent, he says if he can’t work soon his only option would be to return to Bihar.
“But our families tell us things are even worse there. Food is becoming scarce and they don’t have rations,” he adds. “How could I do that to my family?”
Mr. Amanat is not alone in his predicament. Around the world, millions of fathers and mothers who have always been able to feed their families are encountering food insecurity for the first time. Strict lockdowns like India’s have eliminated informal and menial jobs, leaving tens of millions with no income.
At the same time, with transport disrupted, farmers can’t distribute their produce.
Danish Siddiqui/Reuters View caption Hide caption People wait to receive free food at an industrial area, during an extended nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New Delhi April 23, 2020.
The prospect of widespread food shortages and disrupted supply chains has prompted the World Food Program – which was already predicting that 2020 could find more than 135 million people in severe hunger – to warn that the added punch of the pandemic will mean unprecedented famine and starvation unless the world takes prompt and coordinated action.
“This is not a Chicken-Little-the-sky-is-falling situation,” says David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations’ famine prevention arm and the world’s largest humanitarian agency. “If we don’t act now,” he adds, “we are going to have famine of biblical proportions.”
The tell-it-like-it-is former governor of South Carolina, who has built a can-do reputation with global leaders, says a “perfect storm” of events could leave more than a quarter of a billion people in severe hunger: the refugee-fueled worst humanitarian crisis since World War II, the pandemic, and now a plague of desert locusts destroying 1 million acres of new crops in East Africa.
The United States and other developed countries are also seeing food supply chains disrupted, shortages of some products like meat, and rising hunger. But as worrisome as that is, experts say the food insecurity in developing and poor countries is of a different order.
“I’m not talking about people going to bed hungry,” says Mr. Beasley, addressing a recent Atlantic Council webinar. “You could have 150,000 to 300,000 people dying a day if this thing does not get addressed promptly.”
Many food supply analysts and humanitarian assistance experts would add a fourth factor to Mr. Beasley’s perfect storm. A nationalist wave has turned many countries inward, prioritizing domestic issues such as the health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
Global leaders, including the United States, are stepping up, Mr. Beasley says, though he maintains they still must do more.
At the same time, the world is benefiting from a new wave of young food-production and supply-chain entrepreneurs, many of whom got their start in climate activism and see the pandemic as an opportunity to reimagine essential activities, from farming to food delivery.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters View caption Hide caption Juanita Jones wears her wedding dress to celebrate her 19th wedding anniversary as she helps run a donated food distribution point from Serve Your City at the mixed-income Townhomes on Capitol Hill community in Washington April 25, 2020.
Mr. Beasley says he has heard the dire warnings of donor fatigue after years of acute crisis, but insists he’s not seeing it. In particular, he rejects the widespread view that the U.S. is retreating from its leadership role.
“We keep hearing that the U.S. has backed off its multilateral commitments,” he says, before pointing to a near doubling in U.S. funding of the WFP over the last three years. “The message that tells is that [the U.S. is] not backing down.”
Under President Barack Obama, he notes, U.S. funding of the WFP reached a new high of $1.9 billion (of about a $6 billion budget). Last year under the Trump administration, the U.S. contribution climbed to $3.4 billion (of a total $8.3 billion raised for food programs).
Still, Mr. Beasley says last year’s budget will be “nowhere near enough” to stave off the dire levels of food insecurity and even starvation he foresees. The food security czar says he is focused on getting major donors like the U.S. and Germany to send their contributions now.
“What I’m saying is ... go ahead and give us now what you’re going to give us ... so we can pre-position food before the worst of the food supply-chain breakdown sets in.”
Another message Mr. Beasley emphasizes to world leaders is that acting now to nip looming famine in the bud will mitigate the instability that accompanies severe hunger – and which reverberates to undermine countries’ national security.
Still, what alarms some food supply experts is that they’re not seeing the international community coming together to address a looming global food crisis the way it has in the past – as in 2007-08, when prices of basic food commodities suddenly spiked.
“In response to the last [food] crisis, you saw a huge and sudden mobilization of effort, and agreement around principles to follow to address food insecurity worldwide, and money put behind those efforts,” says Caitlin Welsh, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ global food security program in Washington. “At this point, we haven’t seen that mobilization.”
Noting moreover that in 2007-08 it was the Group of Seven wealthy countries and the G-20 most-developed countries that led a global effort, she adds, “[We] haven’t seen them yet, which is disappointing.”
Ms. Welsh, who directed the National Security Council’s global economic engagement in the Obama White House, says the multilateral organizations’ focus in the last food crisis was agricultural productivity.
Courtesy of Ndeye Marie Ndieguene View caption Hide caption Ndeye Marie Ndieguene works with farmers in the village of Makka Sarr, Senegal.
The pandemic is revealing a new set of priorities, she adds. “The response this crisis calls for is looking at food systems, so not just farm production but … food transportation, labor, food processing, storage, and then marketing,” she says. “The response we’re going to see, I hope, is a different one, and broader than the response to the last crisis.”
Echoes of Ms. Welsh’s thinking can be heard in the ideas of Ndéye Marie Aïda Ndieguene, a young food-systems entrepreneur in Senegal.
Ms. Ndieguene describes a Senegal under lockdown that is not unlike Mr. Amanat’s India.
“So many people work in the informal sectors of the economy that aren’t functioning right now, but at the same time the government has banned movement between regions of the country, so that makes it difficult for farmers to get their produce to market,” says Ms. Ndieguene. “That combination has many people here declaring, ‘We are not going to die of COVID-19, we are going to die from hunger.’”
But Ms. Ndieguene, who has won international awards for her design of a food warehouse that reduces food loss, is springing into action to help address Senegal’s spiking food insecurity.
Starting with the farming contacts she made through her warehouse project, she has developed a digital community marketplace that links farmers and their products with new markets. She is also nurturing a farming community of 150 women and girls who are interested in particular in ways to support Senegalese women.
What Ms. Ndieguene is finding is that the pandemic, while a dire threat to so many, is also prompting new thinking and innovative solutions to a problem like food insecurity.
“Of course the pandemic is not something good – people are sick, people are dying, people are going hungry,” she says. “But it is also providing the occasion for all of us to stop and consider new ways and new solutions, and not just about food security. It’s a general stop for all humanity,” she adds, “to think about the impact of how we are living.”
Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.


csmonitor--2020-03-19--Home theater: Our critic offers his favorite feel-good flicks

“ There is no Frigate like a Book , ” wrote Emily Dickinson , but that was before movies were invented .
Movies can transport you just about anywhere , and these days , more than ever , we all crave a safe harbor .
I can ’ t think of many better ways to boost the spirits than by watching wonderful movies that make us feel good all over .
I ’ ll kick things off with three of my favorites , all readily accessible for home viewing , in what I hope will become an ongoing column of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ note : As a public service , all our coronavirus coverage is free .
No paywall . ]
Let ’ s start with “ Some Like It Hot ” the classic 1959 Billy Wilder comedy , co-written with his frequent collaborator I.A.L .
Diamond , and starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in top comedic form .
They play Joe and Jerry , low-rent Chicago jazz musicians who witness a gangland shootout and , fearing mob retaliation , flee , in drag , to Miami with an all-girl band .
Gender confusions abound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite her rebuffs , is wooed by millionaire playboy Osgood Fielding III ( the great Joe E. Brown , with his mile-wide smile ) .
“ Josephine ” ( Curtis ) , adopting a second disguise as “ Junior , ” the Shell Oil heir , falls for Marilyn Monroe ’ s Sugar Kane Kowalczyk , the band ’ s singer and ukulele player .
The plot thickens when the mob boss who engineered the Chicago massacre , George Raft ’ s “ Spats ” Colombo , checks into the same Miami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ ve never seen this movie before , I truly envy you .
It ’ s one of the funniest films ever made – maybe THE funniest .
And if you ’ ve seen it more than a dozen times , as I have , rest assured it remains as hilarious as it was the first time .
That ’ s partly because , knowing what ’ s coming , we can savor the best moments when they arrive on schedule .
As Junior , Curtis sports a note-perfect Cary Grant accent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actors who could play high comedy and serious drama with equal conviction , has never been more giddy than in the scene where he dances the tango with Osgood until dawn .
Soon after , he announces to a stunned Joe that he and Osgood are engaged .
Monroe is also at her dreamy comedic peak here .
Whatever diva difficulties Wilder may reportedly have had directing her on set ( which was actually the famed beachside Hotel del Coronado near San Diego ) , nothing of that shows up in the film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe and Jerry , “ Some Like It Hot ” really plays up the ways in which men can be flabbergasted by women , with how they look and talk and move .
The plot , especially for 1959 , may be risqué but the tone throughout is heedlessly innocent .
And , of course , with the possible exception of “ Casablanca , ” it boasts the best closing line in all of movies .
I ’ ll resist – just barely – the impulse to give it away .
( Rated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children you know , have never experienced the great Buster Keaton , there is no better place to start than “ Steamboat Bill , Jr. , ” the 1928 film he co-directed with Charles Reisner .
Keaton , whose trademark deadpan was actually quite expressive – look closely !
– plays the citified college graduate son of a tough-as-nails Mississippi steamboat owner ( hulking Ernest Torrence ) .
Dad disapproves of his son ’ s foppish ways , but Junior proves himself the better man in an astonishing whirlwind storm sequence at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot without a stunt double , has the façade of a house falling over Keaton , framing him in the rectangle of a window .
Don ’ t try this at home – or anywhere else .
If this film gives you a hearty appetite for more Keaton , try “ The General , ” “ The Navigator , ” “ Sherlock Jr. , ” and “ Seven Chances.
” All masterpieces .
( Unrated ) The actor who learned the most from Keaton about physical comedy was Steve Martin .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s 1987 “ Roxanne , ” the “ Cyrano de Bergerac ” update that he also wrote .
He plays C.D .
Bales , the long-nosed fire chief in a Washington off-season ski resort town who pines for Roxanne ( Daryl Hannah ) , a starry-eyed astronomy student .
When the film was first released , I wrote that it was one of the most elating romantic comedies ever made in this country .
I still feel that way .
It makes you feel unreasonably happy , as if you were watching colors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rated PG ) I wish you all happy viewing .
These films are available for rent from Amazon ’ s Prime Video , YouTube , and Google Play .
“ Some Like It Hot ” also airs on the Turner Classic Movies ( TCM ) network on March 25 , and is leaving Prime on March 31 .

“There is no Frigate like a Book,” wrote Emily Dickinson, but that was before movies were invented. Movies can transport you just about anywhere, and these days, more than ever, we all crave a safe harbor. I can’t think of many better ways to boost the spirits than by watching wonderful movies that make us feel good all over. I’ll kick things off with three of my favorites, all readily accessible for home viewing, in what I hope will become an ongoing column of pandemic picker-uppers.
[Editor’s note: As a public service, all our coronavirus coverage is free. No paywall.]
“Some Like It Hot”
Why We Wrote This In times of uncertainty, we value a good laugh. Film critic Peter Rainer recommends a selection of his favorite feel-good choices to help. “Movies can transport you just about anywhere,” he says, “and these days, more than ever, we all crave a safe harbor.”
Let’s start with “Some Like It Hot” the classic 1959 Billy Wilder comedy, co-written with his frequent collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, and starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in top comedic form. They play Joe and Jerry, low-rent Chicago jazz musicians who witness a gangland shootout and, fearing mob retaliation, flee, in drag, to Miami with an all-girl band. Gender confusions abound. “Daphne” (Lemmon), despite her rebuffs, is wooed by millionaire playboy Osgood Fielding III (the great Joe E. Brown, with his mile-wide smile). “Josephine” (Curtis), adopting a second disguise as “Junior,” the Shell Oil heir, falls for Marilyn Monroe’s Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, the band’s singer and ukulele player. The plot thickens when the mob boss who engineered the Chicago massacre, George Raft’s “Spats” Colombo, checks into the same Miami hotel for a gangland summit.
If you’ve never seen this movie before, I truly envy you. It’s one of the funniest films ever made – maybe THE funniest. And if you’ve seen it more than a dozen times, as I have, rest assured it remains as hilarious as it was the first time. That’s partly because, knowing what’s coming, we can savor the best moments when they arrive on schedule. As Junior, Curtis sports a note-perfect Cary Grant accent. Lemmon, one of the rare actors who could play high comedy and serious drama with equal conviction, has never been more giddy than in the scene where he dances the tango with Osgood until dawn. Soon after, he announces to a stunned Joe that he and Osgood are engaged.
United Artists/IFTN/Newscom View caption Hide caption Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah star in “Roxanne” (1987).
Monroe is also at her dreamy comedic peak here. Whatever diva difficulties Wilder may reportedly have had directing her on set (which was actually the famed beachside Hotel del Coronado near San Diego), nothing of that shows up in the film.
As seen through the eyes of Joe and Jerry, “Some Like It Hot” really plays up the ways in which men can be flabbergasted by women, with how they look and talk and move. The plot, especially for 1959, may be risqué but the tone throughout is heedlessly innocent. And, of course, with the possible exception of “Casablanca,” it boasts the best closing line in all of movies. I’ll resist – just barely – the impulse to give it away. (Rated PG)
“Steamboat Bill, Jr.”
If you, or any children you know, have never experienced the great Buster Keaton, there is no better place to start than “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” the 1928 film he co-directed with Charles Reisner. Keaton, whose trademark deadpan was actually quite expressive – look closely! – plays the citified college graduate son of a tough-as-nails Mississippi steamboat owner (hulking Ernest Torrence). Dad disapproves of his son’s foppish ways, but Junior proves himself the better man in an astonishing whirlwind storm sequence at the end. Its most famous gag, shot without a stunt double, has the façade of a house falling over Keaton, framing him in the rectangle of a window. Don’t try this at home – or anywhere else. If this film gives you a hearty appetite for more Keaton, try “The General,” “The Navigator,” “Sherlock Jr.,” and “Seven Chances.” All masterpieces. (Unrated)
“Roxanne”
The actor who learned the most from Keaton about physical comedy was Steve Martin. He is at his peak in Fred Schepisi’s 1987 “Roxanne,” the “Cyrano de Bergerac” update that he also wrote. He plays C.D. Bales, the long-nosed fire chief in a Washington off-season ski resort town who pines for Roxanne (Daryl Hannah), a starry-eyed astronomy student. When the film was first released, I wrote that it was one of the most elating romantic comedies ever made in this country. I still feel that way. It makes you feel unreasonably happy, as if you were watching colors being added to a sunset. (Rated PG)
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I wish you all happy viewing.
These films are available for rent from Amazon’s Prime Video, YouTube, and Google Play. “Some Like It Hot” also airs on the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) network on March 25, and is leaving Prime on March 31.


csmonitor--2020-03-19--Need a point person? Appoint a czar.

Need a point person? Appoint a czar.

A few weeks ago , the media reported that President Donald Trump had chosen Vice President Mike Pence as “ coronavirus czar , ” putting him in charge of the country ’ s response to the COVID-19 outbreak .
Mr. Trump has been relatively abstemious in appointing czars , but former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush each had more than 30 of them .
How did czar , royal title of the rulers of Russia until 1917 , become so prevalent in the United States ?
Today the word means “ a person appointed by government to advise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area , ” according to Dictionary.com , but its first English uses referred to the Russian rulers .
Travelogues in the 16th century present “ the czar ” as an exotic figure , an autocrat in a fur hat .
As the word ’ s etymology suggests , it comes from caesar , “ emperor ” to the ancient Romans .
The original czars were powerful , sometimes absolute , monarchs .
The first American to be dubbed “ czar ” was apparently Nicholas Biddle in the 1830s , and this was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the federal bank , which President Andrew Jackson wanted to abolish .
To stir up resentment against him , Jackson ’ s allies called him Czar Nicholas , implying that he directed the bank according to his own whims .
Czar kept this connotation of despotism and tyranny until the Russian Revolution , when it quite suddenly developed a kinder , gentler – or perhaps simply ironic – sense .
As soon as the actual czars were no more , czars galore appeared in the U.S .
Looking at newspapers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organization had one .
There were czars of baseball , poultry , milk , and so on .
Two factors seem to have driven this rise .
First , it is a media-friendly word .
It ’ s catchy and short , a plus for newspaper headlines .
“ TARP czar ” takes up a lot less room than “ assistant secretary to the Treasury for financial stability , in charge of the Troubled Assets Relief Program.
” Second , as government bureaucracy has expanded , presidents have needed people who can take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut through red tape : the czar .
During World War II , for example , President Franklin Roosevelt appointed a number of them to make sure that both the military and civilian sides of the economy had access to the resources they needed .
The “ rubber czar , ” for example , allocated rubber so that there was enough to make tires for the military as well as shoes for civilian factory workers .
Today the word ’ s history is catching up with it .
Many politicians on both sides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the term ’ s Russian connections and tyrannical connotations , especially since czars can be appointed without Senate confirmation .

A few weeks ago, the media reported that President Donald Trump had chosen Vice President Mike Pence as “coronavirus czar,” putting him in charge of the country’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Mr. Trump has been relatively abstemious in appointing czars, but former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush each had more than 30 of them. How did czar, royal title of the rulers of Russia until 1917, become so prevalent in the United States?
Today the word means “a person appointed by government to advise on and coordinate policy in a particular area,” according to Dictionary.com, but its first English uses referred to the Russian rulers. Travelogues in the 16th century present “the czar” as an exotic figure, an autocrat in a fur hat. As the word’s etymology suggests, it comes from caesar, “emperor” to the ancient Romans. The original czars were powerful, sometimes absolute, monarchs.
The first American to be dubbed “czar” was apparently Nicholas Biddle in the 1830s, and this was not meant as a compliment. Biddle presided over the federal bank, which President Andrew Jackson wanted to abolish. To stir up resentment against him, Jackson’s allies called him Czar Nicholas, implying that he directed the bank according to his own whims.
Czar kept this connotation of despotism and tyranny until the Russian Revolution, when it quite suddenly developed a kinder, gentler – or perhaps simply ironic – sense. As soon as the actual czars were no more, czars galore appeared in the U.S. Looking at newspapers in the 1920s, it seems as if every organization had one. There were czars of baseball, poultry, milk, and so on. Two factors seem to have driven this rise. First, it is a media-friendly word. It’s catchy and short, a plus for newspaper headlines. “TARP czar” takes up a lot less room than “assistant secretary to the Treasury for financial stability, in charge of the Troubled Assets Relief Program.”
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empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Second, as government bureaucracy has expanded, presidents have needed people who can take a global view of a situation and cut through red tape: the czar. During World War II, for example, President Franklin Roosevelt appointed a number of them to make sure that both the military and civilian sides of the economy had access to the resources they needed. The “rubber czar,” for example, allocated rubber so that there was enough to make tires for the military as well as shoes for civilian factory workers.
Today the word’s history is catching up with it. Many politicians on both sides of the aisle are newly uncomfortable with the term’s Russian connections and tyrannical connotations, especially since czars can be appointed without Senate confirmation.


csmonitor--2020-03-23--Kenny Rogers, music legend and master four-minute storyteller

Kenny Rogers , the smooth , Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned jazz , folk , country , and pop with such hits as “ Lucille , ” “ Lady , ” and “ Islands in the Stream ” and embraced his persona as “ The Gambler ” on records and on TV , died Friday night .
Mr. Rogers , 81 , died at home in Sandy Springs , Georgia , representative Keith Hagan told The Associated Press .
He died of natural causes , Mr. Hagan said .
The Houston-born performer with the husky voice and silver beard sold tens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grammys and was the star of TV movies based on “ The Gambler ” and other songs , making him a superstar in the ‘ 70s and ’ 80s .
Mr. Rogers thrived for some 60 years before retiring from touring in 2017 at age 79 .
Despite his crossover success , he always preferred to be thought of as a country singer .
“ You either do what everyone else is doing and you do it better , or you do what no one else is doing and you don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Associated Press in 2015 .
“ And I chose that way because I could never be better than Johnny Cash or Willie or Waylon at what they did .
So I found something that I could do that didn ’ t invite comparison to them .
And I think people thought it was my desire to change country music .
But that was never my issue.
” His “ Islands in the Stream ” duet partner Dolly Parton posted a video on Twitter on Saturday morning , choking up as she held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
“ I loved Kenny with all my heart and my heart is broken and a big ole chunk of it is gone with him today , '' Ms. Parton said in the video .
“ Kenny was one of those artists who transcended beyond one format and geographic borders , ” says Sarah Trahern , chief executive officer of the Country Music Association .
“ He was a global superstar who helped introduce country music to audiences all around the world . ''
Mr. Rogers was a five-time CMA Award winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CMA 's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 , the same year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame .
He received 10 awards from the Academy of Country Music .
He sold more than 47 million records in the United States alone , according to the Recording Industry Association of America .
A true rags-to-riches story , Mr. Rogers was raised in public housing in Houston Heights with seven siblings .
As a 20-year-old , he had a gold single called “ That Crazy Feeling , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when that early success stalled , he joined a jazz group , the Bobby Doyle Trio , as a standup bass player .
But his breakthrough came when he was asked to join the New Christy Minstrels , a folk group , in 1966 .
The band reformed as First Edition and scored a pop hit with the psychedelic song , “ Just Dropped In ( To See What Condition My Condition Was In ) .
” Mr. Rogers and First Edition mixed country-rock and folk on songs like “ Ruby , Don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” a story of a Vietnam veteran begging his girlfriend to stay .
After the group broke up in 1974 , Mr. Rogers started his solo career and found a big hit with the sad country ballad “ Lucille , ” in 1977 , which crossed over to the pop charts and earned Mr. Rogers his first Grammy .
Suddenly the star , Mr. Rogers added hit after hit for more than a decade .
“ The Gambler , ” the Grammy-winning story song penned by Don Schlitz , came out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a signature refrain : “ You got ta know when to hold ‘ em , know when to fold ’ em.
” The song spawned a hit TV movie of the same name and several more sequels featuring Mr. Rogers as professional gambler Brady Hawkes , and led to a lengthy side career for Mr. Rogers as a TV actor and host of several TV specials .
“ I think the best that any songwriter could hope for is to have Kenny Rogers sing one of your songs , ” said Mr. Schlitz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ duet “ You Can ’ t Make Old Friends.
” “ He gave so many career songs to so many of us.
” Mr. Schlitz noted that some of Mr. Rogers ’ biggest hits were songs that had been recorded previously , but his versions became the most popular .
“ The Gambler ” had been recorded six other times before Mr. Rogers and “ Ruby Don ’ t Take Your Love to Town , ” by Mel Tillis , was also recorded by other artists before Mr. Rogers .
“ No one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more often and better than K.R .
He will be missed but his music and diverse style of story-telling will live on forever , ” said Billy Ray Cyrus .
Other hits included “ You Decorated My Life , ” “ Every Time Two Fools Collide ” with Dottie West , “ Don ’ t Fall In Love with a Dreamer ” with Kim Carnes , and “ Coward of the County.
” One of his biggest successes was “ Lady , ” written by Lionel Richie , a chart topper for six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said in a 2017 interview with the AP that he often didn ’ t finish songs until he had already pitched them , which was the case for “ Lady.
” “ In the beginning , the song was called , ‘ Baby , ' ” Mr. Richie said .
“ And because when I first sat with him , for the first 30 minutes , all he talked about was he just got married to a real lady .
A country guy like him is married to a lady .
So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what ’ s the name of the song ?
’ ” Mr. Richie replies : “ Lady.
” Over the years , Mr. Rogers worked often with female duet partners , most memorably , Dolly Parton .
The two were paired at the suggestion of the Bee Gees ’ Barry Gibb , who wrote “ Islands in the Stream.
” “ Barry was producing an album on me and he gave me this song , ” Mr. Rogers told the AP in 2017 .
“ And I went and learned it and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for four days .
And I finally looked at him and said , ‘ Barry , I don ’ t even like this song anymore.
’ And he said , ‘ You know what we need ?
We need Dolly Parton.
’ I thought , ‘ Man , that guy is a visionary.
’ ” Coincidentally , Ms. Parton was actually in the same recording studio in Los Angeles when the idea came up .
“ From the moment she marched into that room , that song never sounded the same , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a whole new spirit.
” The two singers toured together , including in Australia and New Zealand in 1984 and 1987 , and were featured in a HBO concert special .
Over the years the two would continue to record together , including their last duet , “ You Can ’ t Make Old Friends , ” which was released in 2013 .
Ms. Parton reprised “ Islands in the Stream ” with Mr. Rogers during his all-star retirement concert held in Nashville in October 2017 .
Mr. Rogers invested his time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ endeavors over his career , including a passion for photography that led to several books , as well as an autobiography , “ Making It With Music.
” He had a chain of restaurants called Kenny Rogers Roasters and was a partner behind a riverboat in Branson , Missouri .
He was also involved in numerous charitable causes , among them the Red Cross and MusiCares , and was part of the all-star “ We are the World ” recording for famine relief .
By the '90s , his ability to chart hits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a popular live entertainer with regular touring .
Still he was an inventive businessman and never stopped trying to find his way back onto the charts .
At the age of 61 , Mr. Rogers had a brief comeback on the country charts in 2000 with a hit song “ Buy Me A Rose , ” thanks to his other favorite medium , television .
Producers of the series “ Touched By An Angel ” wanted him to appear in an episode , and one of his managers suggested the episode be based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ event earned him his first No .
1 country song in 13 years .
Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife , Wanda , and his sons Justin , Jordan , Chris , and Kenny Jr. , as well as two brothers , a sister , and grandchildren , nieces and nephews , his representative said .
The family is planning a private service “ out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency , ” a statement posted early Saturday read .
A public memorial will be held at a later date .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press .
AP journalist Mallika Sen contributed from Los Angeles .
Editor ’ s note : As a public service , the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage .
It ’ s free .

Kenny Rogers, the smooth, Grammy-winning balladeer who spanned jazz, folk, country, and pop with such hits as “Lucille,” “Lady,” and “Islands in the Stream” and embraced his persona as “The Gambler” on records and on TV, died Friday night.
Mr. Rogers, 81, died at home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, representative Keith Hagan told The Associated Press. He died of natural causes, Mr. Hagan said.
The Houston-born performer with the husky voice and silver beard sold tens of millions of records, won three Grammys and was the star of TV movies based on “The Gambler” and other songs, making him a superstar in the ‘70s and ’80s. Mr. Rogers thrived for some 60 years before retiring from touring in 2017 at age 79. Despite his crossover success, he always preferred to be thought of as a country singer.
“You either do what everyone else is doing and you do it better, or you do what no one else is doing and you don’t invite comparison,” Mr. Rogers told The Associated Press in 2015. “And I chose that way because I could never be better than Johnny Cash or Willie or Waylon at what they did. So I found something that I could do that didn’t invite comparison to them. And I think people thought it was my desire to change country music. But that was never my issue.”
His “Islands in the Stream” duet partner Dolly Parton posted a video on Twitter on Saturday morning, choking up as she held a picture of the two of them together. “I loved Kenny with all my heart and my heart is broken and a big ole chunk of it is gone with him today," Ms. Parton said in the video.
“Kenny was one of those artists who transcended beyond one format and geographic borders,” says Sarah Trahern, chief executive officer of the Country Music Association. “He was a global superstar who helped introduce country music to audiences all around the world."
Mr. Rogers was a five-time CMA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the CMA's Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, the same year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He received 10 awards from the Academy of Country Music. He sold more than 47 million records in the United States alone, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
A true rags-to-riches story, Mr. Rogers was raised in public housing in Houston Heights with seven siblings. As a 20-year-old, he had a gold single called “That Crazy Feeling,” under the name Kenneth Rogers, but when that early success stalled, he joined a jazz group, the Bobby Doyle Trio, as a standup bass player.
But his breakthrough came when he was asked to join the New Christy Minstrels, a folk group, in 1966. The band reformed as First Edition and scored a pop hit with the psychedelic song, “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” Mr. Rogers and First Edition mixed country-rock and folk on songs like “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town,” a story of a Vietnam veteran begging his girlfriend to stay.
After the group broke up in 1974, Mr. Rogers started his solo career and found a big hit with the sad country ballad “Lucille,” in 1977, which crossed over to the pop charts and earned Mr. Rogers his first Grammy. Suddenly the star, Mr. Rogers added hit after hit for more than a decade.
“The Gambler,” the Grammy-winning story song penned by Don Schlitz, came out in 1978 and became his signature song with a signature refrain: “You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ’em.” The song spawned a hit TV movie of the same name and several more sequels featuring Mr. Rogers as professional gambler Brady Hawkes, and led to a lengthy side career for Mr. Rogers as a TV actor and host of several TV specials.
“I think the best that any songwriter could hope for is to have Kenny Rogers sing one of your songs,” said Mr. Schlitz, who also co-wrote the other Parton-Rogers duet “You Can’t Make Old Friends.” “He gave so many career songs to so many of us.”
Mr. Schlitz noted that some of Mr. Rogers’ biggest hits were songs that had been recorded previously, but his versions became the most popular. “The Gambler” had been recorded six other times before Mr. Rogers and “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” by Mel Tillis, was also recorded by other artists before Mr. Rogers.
“No one bridged the gap between country and pop more often and better than K.R. He will be missed but his music and diverse style of story-telling will live on forever,” said Billy Ray Cyrus.
Other hits included “You Decorated My Life,” “Every Time Two Fools Collide” with Dottie West, “Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer” with Kim Carnes, and “Coward of the County.” One of his biggest successes was “Lady,” written by Lionel Richie, a chart topper for six weeks straight in 1980. Mr. Richie said in a 2017 interview with the AP that he often didn’t finish songs until he had already pitched them, which was the case for “Lady.”
“In the beginning, the song was called, ‘Baby,'” Mr. Richie said. “And because when I first sat with him, for the first 30 minutes, all he talked about was he just got married to a real lady. A country guy like him is married to a lady. So, he said, ‘By the way, what’s the name of the song?’” Mr. Richie replies: “Lady.”
Over the years, Mr. Rogers worked often with female duet partners, most memorably, Dolly Parton. The two were paired at the suggestion of the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb, who wrote “Islands in the Stream.”
“Barry was producing an album on me and he gave me this song,” Mr. Rogers told the AP in 2017. “And I went and learned it and went into the studio and sang it for four days. And I finally looked at him and said, ‘Barry, I don’t even like this song anymore.’ And he said, ‘You know what we need? We need Dolly Parton.’ I thought, ‘Man, that guy is a visionary.’”
Coincidentally, Ms. Parton was actually in the same recording studio in Los Angeles when the idea came up.
“From the moment she marched into that room, that song never sounded the same,” Mr. Rogers said. “It took on a whole new spirit.”
The two singers toured together, including in Australia and New Zealand in 1984 and 1987, and were featured in a HBO concert special. Over the years the two would continue to record together, including their last duet, “You Can’t Make Old Friends,” which was released in 2013. Ms. Parton reprised “Islands in the Stream” with Mr. Rogers during his all-star retirement concert held in Nashville in October 2017.
Mr. Rogers invested his time and money in a lot of other endeavors over his career, including a passion for photography that led to several books, as well as an autobiography, “Making It With Music.” He had a chain of restaurants called Kenny Rogers Roasters and was a partner behind a riverboat in Branson, Missouri. He was also involved in numerous charitable causes, among them the Red Cross and MusiCares, and was part of the all-star “We are the World” recording for famine relief.
By the '90s, his ability to chart hits had waned, although he still remained a popular live entertainer with regular touring. Still he was an inventive businessman and never stopped trying to find his way back onto the charts.
At the age of 61, Mr. Rogers had a brief comeback on the country charts in 2000 with a hit song “Buy Me A Rose,” thanks to his other favorite medium, television. Producers of the series “Touched By An Angel” wanted him to appear in an episode, and one of his managers suggested the episode be based on his latest single. That cross-promotional event earned him his first No. 1 country song in 13 years.
Mr. Rogers is survived by his wife, Wanda, and his sons Justin, Jordan, Chris, and Kenny Jr., as well as two brothers, a sister, and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, his representative said. The family is planning a private service “out of concern for the national COVID-19 emergency,” a statement posted early Saturday read. A public memorial will be held at a later date.
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This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP journalist Mallika Sen contributed from Los Angeles.
Editor’s note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It’s free.


csmonitor--2020-04-20--How Earth Day united a nation in crisis and sparked a global movement

“ If you had gone around the United States in 1969 asking people what they thought about the environment , people mostly wouldn ’ t have known what you were talking about , ” he says .
“ By the middle of 1970 , something like 75 % of all Americans called themselves environmentalists.
” Before long , Mr. Hayes had dropped out of Harvard and moved to Washington to be the organizer of the event .
An entire movement was born out of that moment , one that has endured for 50 years .
One of those first environmentalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ student at Harvard University and headed to Washington to offer help to Sen. Gaylord Nelson , who was planning the first Earth Day , scheduled for April 22 , 1970 .
Over the past year , so-called climate kids have stormed the world stage , urging their elders to take drastic measures to preserve the planet .
But long before Greta Thunberg addressed the United Nations , a whole different generation of young people took to the streets in defense of the Earth .
When Denis Hayes decided to join an environmental teach-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about to help launch a movement that would endure for half a century .
The year was 1969 and “ there were things that were ripping America apart , ” Mr. Hayes recalls .
He was a student at Harvard University and headed to Washington to offer help to Sen. Gaylord Nelson , who was planning the first Earth Day , scheduled for April 22 , 1970 .
Before long , Mr. Hayes had dropped out of Harvard and moved to Washington to be the organizer of the event .
He found a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some things that hold us together , ” he says .
And it worked .
Some 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day events , held in nearly every town and city in the United States .
At the marquee event in New York , Fifth Avenue closed from Union Square to Central Park .
“ I had never imagined addressing a crowd that would be so large I could not see the far edge of it , ” recalls Mr. Hayes .
“ It was like looking out at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horizon.
” That moment was just the beginning .
What started as a single day grew into a sustained movement that drew both Democrats and Republicans and launched a slew of legislation , from the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency to the adoption of the Clean Air Act , the Clean Water Act , the Safe Drinking Water Act , the Endangered Species Act , the Marine Mammal Protection Act , the Toxic Substances Control Act , and the Superfund program .
The 50th Earth Day celebration this spring is global and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – virtual .
The focus of the event has shifted , from pollution to climate change .
But the spirit remains the same .
Mr. Hayes recently looked back on that first Earth Day , its legacy , and lessons for today ’ s activists .
Here are some excerpts , edited for clarity and length , from that interview .
What did the first Earth Day change ?
If you had gone around the United States in 1969 asking people what they thought about the environment , people mostly wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
By the middle of 1970 , something like 75 % of all Americans called themselves environmentalists .
There was a set of values – that had sort of been there and implicit , but not wrapped up together in any kind of definable boundary – that came to reshape the culture .
I grew up in a community that was dominated by a paper mill .
It cranked out uncontrolled sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide that became acid rain .
And that was thought of as the smell of prosperity .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who have chosen to live in a particular kind of location for environmental reasons .
Who chose their automobile or bus commute for environmental reasons .
There are people like me who chose to have one child for environmental reasons .
Politicians got elected and defeated for environmental reasons .
All of that happened in a relatively clear chain in the aftermath of Earth Day .
What parallels do you see with today ’ s environmental activism ?
In 1970 , if you looked at a smokestack , you saw really ugly clouds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , with CO – you can ’ t see it , you can ’ t smell it , you can ’ t taste it .
But what you can see are the effects of it .
All of that makes it tangible and visible to people in a way that allows you to have a fair amount of momentum .
And then , of course , you have the kids .
Social movements are almost always driven by youth .
Historically , young has meant 20 or 22 or 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 15 or 16 .
They have this intuitive sense that the world is getting bad at an accelerating pace and they want to do what they can to stop it .
Part of what we ’ re doing with Earth Day is answering the question Greta [ Thunberg ] always asks : Where are the adults ?
We ’ re going to be throwing some adults into the mix , who have filed some lawsuits , who know how to prepare legislation , who have worked with the technologies and know what you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific principles .
It has to be a broad societal effort , but to get the whole thing launched , as it has been , by the very young has really been a godsend .
What role can environmental activists of the 1970s play today ?
I don ’ t want to overstate this , but there was an idealism that was pretty widespread in the ’ 60s and ’ 70s .
And those of us who were there then have now moved into positions of some power , some influence .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m seeing a fair amount of evidence that that idealism is starting to resurface .
That idealism came from the young and is beginning to spread to the old , to the seniors who have this fair amount of remaining authority over the economy .
It ’ s been less effective with the politicians .
But where in 1970 it was environmentalists working hand in glove with politicians to try to put some constraints on the irresponsible behavior of the corporations , there ’ s a trace now of environmentalists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put some constraints around the politicians .
How do you find optimism ?
My biggest worry about the kids is that most of what they ’ re facing are these gloom-and-doom stories , which are all very real .
But they have to also recognize that there are well-founded reasons for hope .
You will never be able to generate a movement if you don ’ t have hope .
You can ’ t have a civil rights movement unless you think you can prevail .
You won ’ t have an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end the war .
And you won ’ t have a climate movement unless you can build a safe , healthy , resilient , beautiful society that isn ’ t dependent on fossil fuels .
A number of things have changed faster than anybody thought was possible : the rapidly declining costs of solar technologies , of offshore wind technologies , of battery technologies , of electric vehicles .
Hope is often an act of will .
I have a daughter , and my daughter has a daughter , so now I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dodder off into my twilight years hopeless .
There has to be an ability to have society make the necessary choices .
This story was published as part of Covering Climate Now , a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story .

“If you had gone around the United States in 1969 asking people what they thought about the environment, people mostly wouldn’t have known what you were talking about,” he says. “By the middle of 1970, something like 75% of all Americans called themselves environmentalists.”
Before long, Mr. Hayes had dropped out of Harvard and moved to Washington to be the organizer of the event. An entire movement was born out of that moment, one that has endured for 50 years.
Today an environmental ethos informs many of our actions. But those values haven’t always been with us. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we look back at how it all began.
One of those first environmentalists was Denis Hayes. He was a student at Harvard University and headed to Washington to offer help to Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who was planning the first Earth Day, scheduled for April 22, 1970.
Over the past year, so-called climate kids have stormed the world stage, urging their elders to take drastic measures to preserve the planet. But long before Greta Thunberg addressed the United Nations, a whole different generation of young people took to the streets in defense of the Earth.
When Denis Hayes decided to join an environmental teach-in, he had no idea he was about to help launch a movement that would endure for half a century.
The year was 1969 and “there were things that were ripping America apart,” Mr. Hayes recalls. He was a student at Harvard University and headed to Washington to offer help to Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who was planning the first Earth Day, scheduled for April 22, 1970.
Before long, Mr. Hayes had dropped out of Harvard and moved to Washington to be the organizer of the event. He found a surge of people eager “to find some things that hold us together,” he says.
Why We Wrote This Today an environmental ethos informs many of our actions. But those values haven’t always been with us. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we look back at how it all began.
And it worked. Some 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day events, held in nearly every town and city in the United States. At the marquee event in New York, Fifth Avenue closed from Union Square to Central Park.
“I had never imagined addressing a crowd that would be so large I could not see the far edge of it,” recalls Mr. Hayes. “It was like looking out at the ocean. The crowd extended over the horizon.”
That moment was just the beginning. What started as a single day grew into a sustained movement that drew both Democrats and Republicans and launched a slew of legislation, from the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency to the adoption of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Superfund program.
The 50th Earth Day celebration this spring is global and – due to the emergence of COVID-19 – virtual. The focus of the event has shifted, from pollution to climate change. But the spirit remains the same.
CWH/AP/File View caption Hide caption Denis Hayes, then-head of Environmental Teach-In Inc., poses in the group’s Washington office on April 8, 1970.
Mr. Hayes recently looked back on that first Earth Day, its legacy, and lessons for today’s activists. Here are some excerpts, edited for clarity and length, from that interview.
What did the first Earth Day change?
If you had gone around the United States in 1969 asking people what they thought about the environment, people mostly wouldn’t have known what you were talking about. By the middle of 1970, something like 75% of all Americans called themselves environmentalists. There was a set of values – that had sort of been there and implicit, but not wrapped up together in any kind of definable boundary – that came to reshape the culture.
I grew up in a community that was dominated by a paper mill. It cranked out uncontrolled sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide that became acid rain. And that was thought of as the smell of prosperity. We changed that.
There are now people who have chosen to live in a particular kind of location for environmental reasons. Who chose their automobile or bus commute for environmental reasons. There are people like me who chose to have one child for environmental reasons. Politicians got elected and defeated for environmental reasons. All of that happened in a relatively clear chain in the aftermath of Earth Day.
What parallels do you see with today’s environmental activism?
In 1970, if you looked at a smokestack, you saw really ugly clouds of smoke coming out. With climate, of course, with CO 2 – you can’t see it, you can’t smell it, you can’t taste it. But what you can see are the effects of it. All of that makes it tangible and visible to people in a way that allows you to have a fair amount of momentum. And then, of course, you have the kids.
Social movements are almost always driven by youth. Historically, young has meant 20 or 22 or 25. Today, it’s often 15 or 16. They have this intuitive sense that the world is getting bad at an accelerating pace and they want to do what they can to stop it. Part of what we’re doing with Earth Day is answering the question Greta [Thunberg] always asks: Where are the adults?
We’re going to be throwing some adults into the mix, who have filed some lawsuits, who know how to prepare legislation, who have worked with the technologies and know what you can do and what would be defying scientific principles. It has to be a broad societal effort, but to get the whole thing launched, as it has been, by the very young has really been a godsend.
What role can environmental activists of the 1970s play today?
I don’t want to overstate this, but there was an idealism that was pretty widespread in the ’60s and ’70s. And those of us who were there then have now moved into positions of some power, some influence. Some have retired and now have some leisure. I’m seeing a fair amount of evidence that that idealism is starting to resurface.
That idealism came from the young and is beginning to spread to the old, to the seniors who have this fair amount of remaining authority over the economy. It’s been less effective with the politicians. But where in 1970 it was environmentalists working hand in glove with politicians to try to put some constraints on the irresponsible behavior of the corporations, there’s a trace now of environmentalists working with the most enlightened corporate leaders to put some constraints around the politicians.
How do you find optimism?
My biggest worry about the kids is that most of what they’re facing are these gloom-and-doom stories, which are all very real. But they have to also recognize that there are well-founded reasons for hope.
You will never be able to generate a movement if you don’t have hope. You can’t have a civil rights movement unless you think you can prevail. You won’t have an anti-war movement unless you think you can end the war.
And you won’t have a climate movement unless you can build a safe, healthy, resilient, beautiful society that isn’t dependent on fossil fuels.
A number of things have changed faster than anybody thought was possible: the rapidly declining costs of solar technologies, of offshore wind technologies, of battery technologies, of electric vehicles.
Get stories that
empower and uplift daily. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads.
Hope is often an act of will. I have a daughter, and my daughter has a daughter, so now I have a granddaughter. I can’t dodder off into my twilight years hopeless. There has to be an ability to have society make the necessary choices.
This story was published as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.