基督教科学箴言报

DECEMBER 7, 2020 $4.
00
How a battle over Indigenous fishing rights

is roiling Canada’s lobster industry.
TROUBLED WATERS
BY MOIRA DONOVAN and SARA MILLER LLANA
DECEMBER 7, 2020 | VOLUME 113 – ISSUE 3
®
“The object of the Monitor is to injure
no man, but to bless all mankind.”
– MARY BAKER EDDY
22 COVER STORY
CO NTENT S By Moira Donovan
and Sara Miller Llana
A battle over Indigenous
fishing rights is roiling Canada’s
lobster industry.
Cover photo: A fisherman sets off fireworks as

boats head out to sea from West Dover, Nova
Scotia, on Nov. 28, 2017 – the first day of the
season in Canada’s largest lobster fishery.
Andrew Vaughan/AP/File
6 32
NEWS PERSPECTIVES A R T S & C U LT U R E
29
30
THE MONITOR’S VIEW
ANALYSIS
Lockdown to liberty, and back again
By Ned Temko
36
31 GLOBAL NEWSSTAND
HUMANITY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Britons rally to address child hunger
amid the pandemic
By Shafi Musaddique
CULTURE
As Native freshman enrollment drops,
tribal colleges step in Diverse audiences look for
By Kelly Field THE HOME FORUM ESSAY authenticity on TV
By Rochelle O’Gorman
Russia takes a novel approach to My helper was closer than I thought
teaching during COVID-19 By J. Shannon Roe 38 FILM
By Fred Weir
33 IN A WORD Werner Herzog explores enduring
In college, peers offer relief from the stresses appeal of meteors
39
of lockdown A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE By Peter Rainer
By Noah Robertson PERSPECTIVE
14 OVERHEARD 34 CROSSWORD PUZZLE
SUDOKU BOOKS
15 THE EXPLAINER
16
Top comic minds
collaborate on a book
of cartoons
By Peter Tonguette
PEOPLE MAKING IN PICTURES
A DIFFERENCE
Kashmiri textile artists weave
With Samvit Agarwal in the treasured shawls
tutoring seat, computer By Bhat Burhan
science becomes kids’ stuff
41
By Sarah Matusek
18 SCIENCE AND NATURE
Could focus on America’s wolves
shift to states?
By Eva Botkin-Kowacki
20 POINTS OF PROGRESS
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2 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR WEEKLY | DECEMBER 7, 2020

WOLFGANG RATTAY/REUTERS
Tobias Honnen (on screen) teaches a virtual English lesson at Alexander-Coppel-Gesamtschule in Solingen, Germany, Nov. 17, 2020.
FROM THE EDITOR
Pandemic challenge accepted
B
efore I became a journalist, I spent forts, the cracks in our education systems the health crisis has opened our eyes to
my days wrangling toddlers. Back have become more pronounced, and in issues – educational disparities, hunger,
in 2004, I was invited to join the some cases deepened, under the added other challenges to childhood well-being
executive committee at my cooperative strains of COVID-19. – that have long been left unattended.
day care. The school was Throughout the pandemic, Perhaps the current situation can bring a
trying to inch its way back our reporters have sought to new level of urgency that will push us to
into the black after years of bring these difficulties into find more lasting solutions.
mismanagement. focus for readers. They have Already, that urgency has translated
So after the finger paints found students and families to a surge of innovation and generos-
and waffle blocks had been put who are struggling. But they ity. In Britain, as the Monitor’s new-
away, I found myself squinting have also found a steady est correspondent Shafi Musaddique
at balance sheets and tuition stream of peers, neighbors, reports, businesses are stepping up to
scales. That was when I first teachers, counselors, and other help feed the nation’s 4 million children
faced a brutal truth. BY NOELLE SWAN community members who living in poverty while schools have
Teachers were struggling CONTENT EDITOR, have stepped up to help young been shuttered. In Russia, Fred Weir
WEEKLY EDITION
to make ends meet. But many people. And they have found writes, schools are finding ways to allow
of the families weren’t much better off, communities rising to the occasion. older instructors to teach from home,
just scraping by to cover tuition. Still, This week, we invite readers to while creating new opportunities for
they were convinced that the educational, explore a sampling of these stories in a student teachers to test their skills in the
social, and emotional value their children special Humanity Behind the Headlines classroom.
gained from high-quality care was worth section devoted to some of the challenges These stories are very much of this
the sacrifice. affecting the education and well-being of moment. But in them, we can also find
Fast-forward to 2020, and I am once children and young adults. something more lasting: inspiration for a
again struck by just how much families The struggles raised in these stories better future.
are willing to sacrifice so their children have all been exacerbated by the pan-
can learn. But this year, despite their ef- demic. But they aren’t new. In a sense, r Email me at swann@csps.com.
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR WEEKLY | DECEMBER 7, 2020 3

Study break
Charlie, an 8-month-old goldendoodle, leads the charge
with Landon DuPont (right) and Aden Bouchard
as the trio play hockey in Calgary, Alberta, Nov. 19, 2020.
The boys’ school classes have been moved online because
of the coronavirus outbreak.
JEFF MCINTOSH/THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP
Britons mobilize to address child hunger in the pandemic 6
HUMANITY As Native freshman enrollment drops, tribal colleges step in 8
BEHIND THE Russia takes a novel approach to teaching during COVID-19 10
HEADLINES In college, peers offer relief from the stresses of lockdown

To share these stories, go to CSMonitor.com/Humanity
12
LONDON bers the humiliation of forgoing meals as
Pandemic spotlights child hunger

a single mother working three jobs, over a
decade ago.
“I remember having a huge packet of
– and Britons rally to help crisps for dinner every night. I thought
that was OK but it clearly wasn’t,” says Ms.
Steere. “I lost my business at the beginning
By Shafi Musaddique / Correspondent businesses and volunteers are tackling the of lockdown, but if I was in that situation
J
ason Stephens remembers the hunger problem head-on. as a single mother on benefits still, I’d need
pains and sleepless nights following his About 1 in 7 children in the U.K. claim a food bank.”
release from jail in 2015. Unable to find free school meals, which are available to
work, he eventually purchased a food truck households earning under £7,400 ($9,750) a Celebrity shines a light
instead and sold burgers on the streets. year. Charities say the low threshold means The person perhaps most responsible
Fast-forward to a cold night in Britain’s many children in slightly higher-income for bringing Britain’s poverty crisis to wide-
autumn lockdown, Mr. Stephens drives households, but below the U.K.’s average spread public attention is Marcus Rashford,
the same truck into the heart of Cardiff’s income of £30,800, are ineligible for state a soccer player known for his quiet, steely
most deprived neighborhoods, handing help, forcing families to survive on food determination on the pitch for Manchester
out a thousand hot meals to children. “I banks. United.
was watching everyone losing their jobs Hayley Steere, founder of Free-My-Meal, Mr. Rashford successfully lobbied the
in lockdown and kids going hungry,” says a national charity linking people who need U.K. government to make a U-turn and
the Welshman. “How can that happen in food with those willing to cook it, remem- extend free meal provisions for children
modern day Britain?” in low-income households over the school
Mr. Stephens cooks and prepares food summer holidays, when otherwise they
donated by Asda and Morrisons, two of WHY WE WROTE THIS might lose that vital food source amid the
Britain’s biggest supermarkets, before pull- Job losses, lockdowns, and government pandemic. He set up a child food pover-
ing up outside to deliver sausage, potato inaction left many children in the United ty task force and repeated the clarion call
mash, and a traditional roast dinner from Kingdom confronting food insecurity. But again in October, urging Prime Minister Bo-
the truck to children going hungry without along with outrage, the result has been a ris Johnson to extend food provisions over
their state-provisioned school meals over citizen outpouring of aid. the autumn and winter school break. Pres-
the late October break. sured by Mr. Rashford’s campaign,
He and hundreds of other busi- Parliament voted on the proposal,
nesses are acting to remedy a Dick- but ultimately rejected it.
ensian issue brought to the fore by Although the prime minister has
the pandemic. More than 4 million recently done another about-face,
children live in poverty in the Unit- in the form of £170 million of extra
ed Kingdom. And while it is not a funding for free school meals, anger
new problem, it is one that had been and action had already spread across
largely hidden from public view be- Britain. Some businesses opted for
fore the pandemic, when associated symbolic measures: One Yorkshire
shortages amid lockdown brought pub owner banned the local member
the issue into stark relief. of Parliament, Chancellor Rishi Su-
British food poverty organization nak – one of the 322 MPs who voted
Food Foundation says some 1.4 mil- against free school meals – from
lion children reported experiences entering.
of food insecurity over the summer But hundreds more went into
ANDREW BOYERS/REUTERS
holidays. action, parceling food for hungry
But while the government has INSPIRED: Alex Stephens, owner of Farm Fresh Market in Notting- children.
been slow to respond to the crisis, ham, England, offered free lunches to children after hearing about “I didn’t know who [Mr. Rashford]
particularly as the threat of new mid- the efforts by pro soccer’s Marcus Rashford to help children gain was until I started doing this. I’m not
access to food during school vacation.
winter shortages approach, British a football fan, but my wife and mum

MARK WAUGH/FARESHARE/AP
GOAL: Manchester United soccer star Marcus

told me about his work and it gave me the grocery store owner set up a text service con- Rashford visits FareShare, which redistributes
kick I needed to do something,” says Mr. tacting families in receipt of state-provided surplus food to charities, in Manchester, England,
Stephens, in Cardiff. “When the govern- meals and has delivered 3,000 meals across Oct. 22, 2020. Mr. Rashford, who debuted in the
ment voted against giving free school meals East Lancashire. Premier League in 2016, lobbied the U.K. gov-
to kids, I thought, ‘Let’s go feed children He’s concerned the lockdown has pushed ernment to extend free meals to children during
ourselves.’” people “who’ve never experienced hunger school breaks, which they will for the next year.
before into food poverty.”
“It’s worse than I imagined it to be,” says means people “can’t just turn up. ... It’s not
“It doesn’t matter what you Mr. White. “Mothers and kids have been somewhere where you want to take kids to.”
in tears on doorsteps because they were At his food hub, recipients have the free-
look like, or who you are. I’ll hungry.” dom to choose items as they walk around,
never judge if you’re going including a shelf stocked with children’s
An alternative to the food bank toys.
hungry.” Critics argue food banks are an ineffi- About 250 families a week visit his “com-
– Hayley Steere, founder of Free-My-Meal cient way of fighting both child and food munity surplus hub.” Young professionals,
poverty. In Waltham Abbey, a small town on nurses, and teachers with young children
the London-Essex border, Pesh Kapasiawala browse items, saving them up to £60 on
Inspired by Mr. Rashford too, grocery opens his door to a space that resembles weekly shopping expenses.
store owner Paul White recruited 200 volun- something more like a supermarket. His With further economic concern on the
teers and “commandeered” a school kitchen belief that food banks are “undignified and horizon, Ms. Steere is well aware that Brit-
in East Lancashire, northern England. traumatic” led him to opening community ain’s poverty trap looms precariously close
Using donations from Britain’s biggest hub 3Food4U in August. Locals line up to to many on so-called middle-class incomes.
supermarkets, he got the owner of a local pick out fresh fruit, pastries, and clothes Near her Surrey home, she received a call
restaurant to help with the menu. “We hired donated by supermarket giants Marks & for emergency food from a resident living
a fridge and 24 hours later, we were cooking Spencer, Asda, and Morrisons that would in a family-sized cottage that appeared in
all through the night,” he says. “We tried to otherwise end up in a landfill. a Hollywood film.
replicate what kids were eating at school. It Mr. Kapasiawala says food banks have “It doesn’t matter what you look like,
might be their only healthy meal of the day.” a bureaucratic profile, often relying on lo- or who you are. I’ll never judge if you’re
Working closely with local schools, the cal authorities to assess recipients, which going hungry.” r

As Native freshman enrollment falls sharply,

tribal colleges respond
By Kelly Field / Correspondent
E
bony Oviok, an Alaska Native from the
state’s North Slope, thought she’d be
spending this fall at the University of
Alaska Fairbanks studying for her nursing
certificate.
Instead, like thousands of would-be col-
lege freshmen, she’s home, waiting out the
pandemic.
Nationwide, there are 13% fewer fresh-
men enrolled in college this fall than last,
according to the latest data from the Na-
tional Student Clearinghouse. The steep-
est declines have occurred at community
colleges among students of color. At public,
four-year colleges, freshman enrollment
among Native American students is down
22%; at community colleges, it’s fallen by
almost 30%.
Some of these students have lost jobs,
or have family members who have, and can
no longer afford college. Others are uncom-
WHY WE WROTE THIS

Among students of color in particular,
freshman enrollment in colleges is down
significantly due to the pandemic. But COURTESY KATE OVIOK
schools serving the Native American
community are working hard to get campuses are safe. Some are offering dis- Without high-speed internet, students
students back on track. counted or free tuition and other incentives. couldn’t participate in the virtual tours
In Point Hope, Alaska, high school coun- and chats that replaced in-person visits
selor Cathy Williams is urging Ms. Oviok to college campuses last spring. They also
fortable with online education or lack the and others who sat out the fall semester to couldn’t commit to online classes if their
technology to access it. And some, like Ms. enroll at the tribal college, Iḷisaġvik College, college opted for remote-only instruction.
Oviok, are scared of bringing back the virus this spring. “I’m trying to build a bridge to It’s not just Point Hope that is seeing
to vulnerable family members. the community college,” she says. “Even a the effects of the digital divide on students’
“I was worried that some places might certificate will help you get employment.” college plans. Nationwide, more than a
not be hygienic,” says Ms. Oviok, whose quarter of Native American students at-
mother, brother, and boyfriend all have been A digital divide tending a tribal college lack reliable inter-
diagnosed with asthma. “I thought about me Point Hope is located near the tip of a net access at home, according to a survey
coming home and infecting them.” triangular spit of land that juts out into the by the American Indian College Fund. For
This fall’s drop in freshman enrollment Chukchi Sea. It is reachable only by sea many of them, access is not just a matter
is likely to have long-term consequences or air. The local economy revolves around of cost, but availability. In vast swaths of
for students, colleges, and the economy subsistence hunting, fishing, and whaling. rural America, “there are literally no lines,”
at large. Students who postpone enroll- The isolation and self-reliance of Point says Carmen Lopez, executive director of
ment are far less likely to graduate from Hope have insulated its 700-some residents College Horizons, a New Mexico nonprofit
college than those who enroll immediately from the health and economic impacts of that helps Native students enroll and suc-
after high school. And without a degree, the pandemic. But the town’s remoteness ceed in college.
they’re more likely to get stuck in low- and has also made the pivot to online courses At the Institute of American Indian
middle-wage jobs. and services difficult for its aspiring col- Arts, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, freshman
So colleges and access groups are scram- lege students. Though high-speed internet enrollment fell by a third this fall, a drop
bling to get students back on track. They’re is available in Point Hope, it’s expensive, that admissions director Mary Silentwalker
reaching out to applicants asking why they and most families can’t afford it, Ms. Wil- attributed to the school’s decision to offer
didn’t enroll and reassuring parents that liams says. most courses online.

“I know school is import-

ant and stuff, but I needed a
job because my family was
running low on food,” she
says. “I was really trying
to juggle everything, and I
couldn’t.”
Even before the pandem-
ic, roughly two-thirds of trib-
al college students reported
experiencing food or housing
insecurity, according to a re-
cent survey by the Hope Cen-
ter for College, Community,
and Justice.
With so many of their stu-
dents struggling financially,
several tribal colleges offered
free or reduced tuition this
fall. Some of these colleges,
including Tohono O’odham,
saw their enrollment increase.
Others, like the Navajo
Nation’s Diné College, which
offered a 50% tuition discount,
lost freshmen anyway. Monty
Roessel, Diné’s president, at-
tributes the 42% drop, in part,
BRIAN LEDDY/GALLUP INDEPENDENT/AP/FILE
to transportation and child
ADAPTING: The pandemic upended Alaska Native Ebony Oviok’s plans (photo left) to attend the University of Alaska care issues. With the reserva-
Fairbanks, but she expects to enroll in a nearby tribal college in the spring. Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona (photo above),
tion’s bus system down, some
the oldest tribally controlled college, offered half-price tuition in the fall and will again for next semester.
students have no way to get to
campus for those classes that
“We had a good group accepted, and they unemployment rates are forcing young peo- remain in-person. Others must stay home
just started falling by the wayside,” she says. ple to put off college to work to support to supervise siblings or their own children
More than three-quarters of the nation’s their families. while schools are closed. To entice them
tribal colleges have lost first-time students Raven Culbertson, a member of the Spirit to enroll in the spring, Diné plans to offer
this fall, with an average reported decrease Lake Tribe in North Dakota, is among them. evening classes at high schools to avoid long
of nearly 75%, according to a survey by the commutes to the Diné campus. The college
American Indian Higher Education Consor- is also extending its 50% discount.
tium (AIHEC). “I know school is important ... But as the pandemic drags on, hope for a
But a handful of institutions appear to be 2021 rebound in freshman numbers nation-
benefiting from the shift to online learning. but I needed a job because my wide is fading. Compared with this time last
Tohono O’odham Community College, in family was running low on year, fewer high school seniors have filled
Arizona, grew its freshman class by almost out the Free Application for Federal Student
150%, in part by adding students from Phoe- food. I was really trying Aid – a key signal of their intent to enroll and
nix and other parts of the state who live to juggle everything, a leading indicator of enrollment. As of early
too far away to commute. In a typical year, November, FAFSA completions were down
the college serves students from 10 tribes; and I couldn’t.” 20% at schools with high concentrations of
this year, it has students from 45, says Paul – Raven Culbertson, Spirit Lake Tribe students of color, according to the National
Robertson, president of Tohono O’odham. member who left college to work full time College Access Network.
“Pre-COVID, tribal colleges were serving In Point Hope, Alaska, where the polar
students who lived within the geographic night is about to descend, Ms. Oviok is plan-
area,” says Carrie Billy, president and CEO When the pandemic hit, her grandfather ning to take her high school counselor’s
of AIHEC. “Now, because they’re offering stopped working because underlying health advice and enroll in the tribal college in the
online, students from anywhere can enroll.” issues put him at risk of severe illness. Ms. spring. She’s a little disappointed not to be
Culbertson thought she could balance online off to college in Fairbanks, but she doesn’t
Deep discounts classes at the local tribal college with a full- regret her decision.
The dramatic decline in freshman en- time job at Walmart, but she was quickly “I like my culture, the whaling festivities,
rollment isn’t due to technology challenges overwhelmed. She quit school after just how close our community is,” she says. “In
alone. In many communities of color, high three weeks. the city, you don’t know anyone.” r

MOSCOW this challenge. It is of critical importance to
Put student teachers in charge?

protect our pupils and teaching staff in this
pandemic. But we have to get the balance
right,” says Sergei Graskin, the school’s
Russia gets creative in pandemic. principal.
“Older pupils can study mostly online
because they know how to use the tech-
By Fred Weir / Special correspondent several pedagogical colleges and universi- nology and discipline themselves. This is
A
ll across Moscow, schools are mostly ties, which train teachers, to act as in-class not the case for the youngest ones. They
empty amid the city’s raging second tutors. Meanwhile older and more vulner- absolutely need personal attention, to have
wave of the coronavirus pandemic, able regular teachers deliver lessons from their questions answered and be shown how
as city government orders older pupils and the safety of their homes, displayed on a big to do things. It also seems that the young-
staff to shelter at home and continue their computer screen at the front of the class- er children are the least vulnerable to this
studies online. room. A few senior students, nearing grad- virus, and we have not been seeing many
But, in a controversial move, Moscow uation, are even being handed full teaching infections in our school,” he says.
officials have decreed that younger pupils responsibilities on a temporary basis.
cannot afford a repeat of the spring’s total “We know that many countries are in this Learning on the job
lockdown. Rather, students in grades one situation, so we’re not the only ones facing The scheme appears to be working well.
to six need to have regular classes and daily In several classrooms, lessons are in full
face time with teachers. swing, with teachers delivering their ma-
That has led to an unusual experiment WHY WE WROTE THIS terial and handing out class work remote-
in Moscow’s schools. How do schools balance educational needs ly, visible on a large screen. Meanwhile a
Inside one of those – School No. 1580, a of young students with the health of older masked student teacher hovers among the
large, sprawling grade school that occupies teachers? In Moscow, the answer is to kids, directing their attention if it wanders,
most of a block in a leafy neighborhood in move the older teachers remote and bring and later giving supplementary tutorials.
the center of the city – healthy young vol- teachers in training into the classroom. In one class, fifth-year pedagogical stu-
unteers have been recruited from Moscow’s dent Irina Vinogradova is teaching a history
PHOTOS BY FRED WEIR
TRY OUT: Student teacher Irina Vinogradova points to a map of the ancient world as she delivers a history lesson at School No. 1580 in Moscow, Nov. 10,
2020. “I can try out the methods I’ve been learning,” says Ms. Vinogradova. “If I run into a problem, senior staff are being very helpful.”

lesson on her own. She has a big, comput- NO SUBSTITUTE: “We’ve discovered a lot about
how technology can assist, but there will never be
erized diagram showing the world of the
any replacement for personal contact,” says Yelena
ancient Near East, and she’s explaining to Ivanova, a social studies teacher with 30 years
the kids how civilizations interacted with experience, at School No. 1580 in Moscow.
each other in the past and continue to affect
the present, spreading knowledge, technol-
ogies, and religions far beyond their own taking too much credit for.
time and place. “I wonder why anyone thinks a young
She seems delighted with the opportu- student can replace an experienced older
nity to be a full teacher, even if unpaid and teacher?” says Alexei Bykov, father of two
temporary. She has agreed to do it for one sons, one of whom is in grade three and the
month, but that could be extended depend- other in grade six. “I understand that they
ing on the pandemic situation. need practice, but why practice on my kids?
“This is so much better than regular Last spring we had 2 1/2 months of so-called
practice teaching,” she says. “There is no remote study, and the results were terrible.
teacher in the room, so I can try out the In fact, many families cannot afford to have
methods I’ve been learning, and get the full their kids at home, studying by computer.
experience. I’m replacing an older teacher I’m not in bad shape, but I can’t afford to
here, but at the same time I am continuing have two computers at home. ...
with my studies at the pedagogical institute. “I want my children to study at school
So, I am learning fast. I feel very comfort- with their teachers. Even if they need to do
able with it. If I run into a problem, senior cialization, which is crucial to the learning something like two weeks on and two weeks
staff are being very helpful. And WhatsApp process. We’ve discovered a lot about how off it would be preferable to this, which I
always works.” technology can assist, but there will never think will only lead to chaos.”
be any replacement for personal contact.” Yelena Kosarikhina, a retired Moscow
Finding new ways to teach One of the educational scholars who school principal, says that inexperienced
In the Russian educational system, some advised Moscow about the experimental students simply cannot handle the job.
schools orient on a particular specialization plan to throw pedagogical students onto the “Sure, young students may know how
from the earliest grades. School 1580 has front lines for the pandemic’s duration is to use the technology, but they lack vital
an engineering focus, and maintains a close Yefim Rachevsky, director of the Tsaritsyno teaching experience,” she says. “I can’t see
relationship with Bauman State Technical this working. And how long is it going to
University, which provides it with a lot of go on? At first they said it would just be a
assistance and takes in many of its grad- “The whole conservative month or two. Now they’re saying a year
uates. Thanks to that technical edge, this model of teaching, where a or more. The longer it continues, the more
school may have been better placed than older teachers will be sidelined, and the
some others to adapt and change amid the teacher stands in front of a quality of education will deteriorate.”
severe challenges of the lockdown earlier The pandemic has been a shock to the
class and delivers a set amount
this year. whole educational system, and time will
Yelena Ivanova, a social studies teacher of material and assigns huge tell what’s been learned through efforts to
with 30 years experience, says that when manage the crisis, says Alexander Adamsky,
the first wave of the pandemic hit earlier
amounts of homework, has editor of Vesti Obrazovaniya, an online jour-
this year, it disrupted everything and no one been profoundly challenged.” nal of education.
had any idea what to expect. He praises the young students who are
– Alexander Adamsky, education editor
“It was really awful, like nothing we’d stepping up to help in the classrooms, call-
ever experienced,” she says. “But we grad- ing them “something like a volunteer corps,
ually discovered that we had all the tools we Education Center in Moscow. He says that called into service in war time.”
needed to deal with it. All these technologies it’s a crisis measure that should probably be “But the whole conservative model of
were in place. We had computers. We were considered for permanent implementation. teaching, where a teacher stands in front of
already customizing lessons for individual “Medical students have to go through a class and delivers a set amount of material
students, but it had all been in the form of years of internship, but student teachers and assigns huge amounts of homework,
routine computer lessons. When this hap- only get brief periods of actual practice in has been profoundly challenged,” he says.
pened, we needed to put it all together in classrooms before they graduate,” he says. “As a result of this emergency, our educa-
new ways, to keep as much education going “This stopgap measure has shown a way tional officials are in a state of near paraly-
as we possibly could.” for students to integrate more thoroughly sis, parents are up in arms, and schools have
But she has also learned that there is into the system, understand the job, and for been forced to seek their own solutions. ...
no substitute for direct classroom contact employers to see if they’re up to it.” “A lot of problems have been exposed,
between teacher and pupils, she says. but the system has also been forced to adopt
“Even for older students, who know “Why practice on my kids?” some innovative new methods. Let’s wait
how to use the devices and study on their The project has drawn fire from some and see whether it will all lead to a better
own, some issues can only be dealt with teachers and parents, who see it as an in- understanding of our children’s educational
face-to-face,” she says. “It’s a matter of so- adequate solution that the authorities are needs.” r

On college campuses,
one surprising relief from
pandemic stress: friends
By Noah Robertson / Staff writer paradoxical demographic when it
O
livia Kane sat in her parked car, comes to the effects of COVID-19.
wondering what to do. She had just They’re among the least vulnerable
come from an abruptly canceled to its physical risks and among the
speech class, after her professor announced most vulnerable to its mental ones.
that two students had tested positive for And since March, they’ve been at
COVID-19 and the class may have been ex- the fore of concerning trends in
posed. Go to the health center, the professor mental health, which experts say
said, and go home. have now evolved into a national
But Ms. Kane didn’t know if she could. A crisis.
commuter student, she lives with her family,
Addressing the mental health crisis
Even before the pandemic,
WHY WE WROTE THIS research among younger adults
Across college campuses, students and showed a rise in anxiety, depres-
mental health providers alike are feeling sion, suicidal ideation – and a cor-
stretched by the pandemic. Yet both responding jump in demand for
groups are coming up with solutions – from college mental health services, says
telehealth and apps to good, old-fashioned Ms. Horne.
camaraderie. But that jump has since be-
come a leap. Since March, per Ac-
tive Minds’ research, some 80%
and her father is considered high risk for the of young people say their mental
virus. What if she brought it back to him? health has worsened. In a midsummer Cen- turn, that threat of physical harm has lim-
After an hour undecided at the wheel, ters for Disease Control and Prevention sur- ited in-person contact with mental health
she drove home and quarantined in her vey, more than 62% of 16- to 24-year-olds providers and forced arduous adaptations
brother’s room. She exited days later symp- reported anxiety or depression. Around a to virtual platforms. In effect, mental and
tom-free, but shell-shocked. quarter said they had seriously considered physical health have become something of
That experience crystallized the semes- suicide in the last month. a zero-sum game.
ter for Ms. Kane, a freshman theater major Such startling numbers are the end result And the longer that game lasts, the more
at Niagara University in New York. For her, of a complex series of events. The pandemic difficult its effects are to treat, says John
as for millions of other students, the corona- has inflicted physical harm nationwide. In Blackshear, dean of students in Student Af-
virus has radically disrupted college fairs at Duke University and a clinical
life. Still, she carries on – rehearsing psychologist.
with a transparent mask in theater Like many other colleges early
class and practicing dance moves this year, says Dr. Blackshear, Duke
remotely over Zoom. thought the pandemic would be an
Such perseverance is becoming acute crisis, enormously disruptive but
all the more necessary, especially isolated in time. But as the pandem-
for people Ms. Kane’s age. More ic proves more elastic, and students’
than ever, experts say, this moment stress persists, mental health staff are
demands a commitment to resilience being stretched like never before.
and to that sense of camaraderie born In response, universities nation-
out of collective trauma. wide have invested in a range of stu-
“A really positive thing since the dent support services:
pandemic is that we can all relate COURTESY OF OLIVIA KANE • Expanded telehealth access,
to some degree of what it’s like for allowing for virtual counseling.
people who struggle every day due “Stay strong. You’re going to get • Wellness app licenses for
to mental health challenges” such therapeutic activities like meditation.
as depression, anxiety, and distress,
through this. We all are.” •Increased publicity of available
says Laura Horne, program director – Olivia Kane, a freshman at Niagara University in New mental health resources, helping drive
at Active Minds. York, in a phone call to her friend as both students struggle student awareness to record-high rates.
Younger adults make up an almost to manage the stress from social distancing measures They’ve also tried to smooth the

SAFETY MEASURES: Students walk NUMBERS IN THE NEWS
20
on the campus of Indiana University of
Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pennsylvania,
on Oct. 21, 2020.
Months the Boeing 737 Max was grounded

after two deadly crashes. The U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration cleared the Max for
flight in November after what the agency
pus coronavirus outbreak. But called an extensive review of the design.
3
as JMU sent students home, Ms.
Cheng applied for special permis-
sion to stay, since she lives with a
grandparent. For the same reason,
Presidents of Peru within a week, after the
her roommate did too.
worst constitutional crisis in two decades.
College hasn’t been what Ms.
Incumbent Martín Vizcarra was ousted
Cheng expected, but the friendship
by Congress and replaced with Manuel
made possible by countless hours Merino, who resigned after massive protests.
in quarantine together has kept her Francisco Sagasti was sworn in on Nov. 17.
happy and helped her adjust. The
15
semester, she says, has even been
good for her mental health.
Others were less fortunate.
Declan Downey, another JMU Asia-Pacific countries that signed the
freshman, returned home when Regional Comprehensive Economic
campus closed, disappointed in Partnership to form the world’s largest
the lack of student accountability trading bloc. The deal had been eight years
and with little to do. in the making and encompasses nearly a
“It was pretty much just school, third of global trade.
1.6
sleep, and work,” he says.
JMU has since allowed students
GENE J. PUSKAR/AP
to return, and while Mr. Downey
transition to virtual learning. A sense of enjoys being back on campus, he still feels
continuity during online education, says Dr. a sense of loss. Friends help, but at a certain MILLION
Blackshear, helps limit the logistical stress- point mental health professionals may be Size, in acres, of the coastal plain of the Arctic
ors of college during the pandemic and keep better equipped to meet student needs, he National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, where
students from feeling overwhelmed. says. the Trump administration has announced
Along with promoting de-stressing out- it would begin the formal process of selling
Students step up for each other lets, reliable routines, and clinical support leases to allow oil and gas drilling.
1
At the individual level, this semester of if necessary, mental health professionals
discontent has been a crucible for students, recognize the need for a stronger sense of
as well, while they adjust to adulthood in camaraderie in this lengthening crisis.
the context of chaos. “Connectedness and a sense of belonging
That’s where one of the most encourag- [are] so crucial in any kind of crisis situ-
MILLION
ing trends of this year fits, says Ms. Horne. ation,” says Joy Himmel, a therapist with U.S. dollars Dolly Parton donated to
Students are relying on friends for support the American College Health Association. Vanderbilt University’s coronavirus research.
more than ever – friends like Rachel Bradley. The ideal is for students to practice self- The university worked with pharmaceutical
Ms. Bradley, a senior at Cornell Univer- care and stay aware of their needs in the company Moderna to develop a vaccine.
76
sity, leads Cornell Minds Matter, a student moment, says Ms. Himmel. Maybe, though,
mental health group. She and other students self-care, when so many people face the
have spent the semester hosting campus same challenges, involves staying aware
events and performing small acts of encour- of others as well.
Queens found in a murder hornet nest in
agement. Motivated by her own experience Ms. Kane, at Niagara University, thinks so.
Washington state. Scientists discovered the
in therapy, Ms. Bradley also works as a peer When she’s not watching “The Office” nest in late October and exterminated the
counselor for students who need the relief or listening to ’60s music to relax, she calls hornets before the invasive species could
of a listening ear. a friend from high school – also a freshman spread elsewhere.
Peer support works informally too. At theater student but at a different college in
least it has for Julia Cheng, a freshman at New York.
James Madison University in Harrisonburg, “The advice I ... give to her is, obviously, – Connie Foong / Staff writer
Virginia. stay strong,” Ms. Kane says. “You’re going Sources: CNBC, The Associated Press, AP, NPR, CNN,
Early in the semester, insufficient safety to get through this,” she tells her friend. Gizmodo
protocols and student parties led to a cam- “We all are.” r

OVER
HEARD
“I would love to see anyone try and stop me.”

– Najla Ahmed, a Saudi teenager who plays soccer for her school, to a reporter from
Arab News about her plans to try out for a local team in 2021, when she’ll be 17 years
old and eligible to play. The country’s first women’s soccer league kicked off in late
November after being postponed by the pandemic. Until 2018, women weren’t allowed
to attend stadium games, much less compete.
“Without our work, Facebook is unusable.” FAISAL AL NASSER/REUTERS/FILE
– More than 200 Facebook moderators in an open letter demanding safer working WOMEN TAKE THE STANDS: Saudi women
conditions. The signees say the pandemic has revealed the shortcomings of automated watch a soccer match at the King Fahd stadium
moderating systems, but that prematurely forcing employees back into the office is not in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 13, 2018.
the solution.
“In one day they sold our land and the people along with it.
They just gave it all away.”
– Sergei Arakelyan, who abandoned his home in the village of Verin Khoratak, where he and his ancestors were born, after the
district changed hands in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal. His family could tolerate the repeated conflict, he told Deutsche
Welle, but the deal was too much: “That’s when we realized that there was no life here. Until then we hoped there was.”
– Lindsey McGinnis / Correspondent
Los
Angeles
Press Club
award
winner
Looking to give
journalism that uplifts?
Give the Monitor

this holiday season
Go to CSMonitor.com/Holiday
Francine Kiefer received the SoCal Journalism Award by the Los Angeles Press Club in August 2020.

THE
EXPLAINER
Why preelection polls faltered again
A
majority of opinion polls showed
Democrat Joe Biden leading Presi-
dent Donald Trump by a wide mar-
gin in the run-up to the Nov. 3 election. But
President-elect Biden’s winning margins
in battleground states like Wisconsin and
Michigan proved to be much narrower
than the polls predicted. Similarly, many
Democrats in congressional races under-
performed their polls. Critics say the polling
industry has failed to learn after its misses
in the 2016 presidential election.
Q: How wrong were the 2020 polls?

In terms of the overall vote, not as much as
you might think. The final RealClearPolitics
average of polls had former Vice President
Biden ahead by 7.2 percentage points. Sim-
ilarly, FiveThirtyEight projected a margin of
victory for Mr. Biden of 8.4 points.
Mr. Biden is currently ahead by about
4 percentage points. The average polling
error for presidential elections since 1968
JONATHAN DRAKE/REUTERS
was 3 points, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The spread between polls and the actual NOT EASY TO PREDICT: Pollsters may have had trouble estimating the extent of this year’s turnout –
and the balance between early voters (like these in Durham, North Carolina) and Election Day voters.
outcome could end up within or near normal
margins of error, once all states are finished
counting and certifying votes. Mr. Trump’s Electoral College victory, in supporters shun surveys because they don’t
Where the polls erred more was in battle- part because their surveys didn’t include trust pollsters.
ground states that both candidates needed enough non-college-educated voters and
to win. The final RealClearPolitics average underestimated the turnout in rural areas. Q: Has polling become more difficult?
for Wisconsin predicted a 7-point win for In the aftermath, surveys were adjusted to Caller ID and call blocking has made it
Mr. Biden, with smaller margins in Michi- account for these demographics. harder to conduct live surveys. Some polling
gan and Pennsylvania. Most polls also had This year, pollsters may have been agencies rely more on robocalls; others have
shown little change during the campaign, thrown off by high turnout and the pop- turned to online surveys that may not be as
suggesting that Mr. Biden’s advantage was ularity of mail-in and early voting during reliable. This drives up the cost of polling
stable. In the end, his victories in these three a pandemic. and may contribute to polling errors, though
crucial states were thin; Wisconsin was won Early voting meant that preelection sur- it was already a factor in 2018 when more
by about 20,000 votes. In Maine, Republican veys could identify more actual voters as of the midterm polling was accurate.
Sen. Susan Collins won by 9 points although opposed to likely voters. This may have led However, this year the pandemic led
polls favored challenger Sara Gideon. to a pro-Biden bias in their sample, since to higher response rates since more vot-
What the polling inaccuracies have in fewer Republicans voted in advance. ers were at home, says David Paleologos,
common is a direction of travel: Support Michael Traugott, a research professor director of the Suffolk University Political
for Democratic candidates was often wildly emeritus at the University of Michigan, com- Research Center.
overestimated. pares it to a cake recipe in which the ingredi- “We were finishing projects a day earlier
ents are listed correctly but their proportion than scheduled,” he says.
Q: What’s behind these misses? is unknown. “The portion of the recipe that Voters seemed happy to talk to a pollster,
Accurate polling rests on two critical was early voting was too large,” he says. perhaps because they were tired of talking
calculations: The makeup of the electorate Conservatives have sometimes argued politics with others in their household. But
and which eligible voters are most likely that pollsters missed Mr. Trump’s support as noted, the propensity of voters to respond
to cast ballots. These calculations allow because respondents were reluctant to state to polls isn’t equally distributed. The bias in
polling agencies to weigh the responses their preference, knowing that it may be surveys may reflect Democrats being over-
to surveys and project the outcome of an socially unacceptable. Studies have failed to represented, as Trump voters with lower
actual election. replicate the “shy Trump voter” hypothesis. levels of social trust are harder to poll.
In 2016, most state polls failed to predict A bigger factor may be that some Trump – Simon Montlake / Staff writer

PEOPLE
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
WEST WINDSOR, N.J.
With Samvit Agarwal in the tutoring seat,

computer science becomes kids’ stuff
By Sarah Matusek / Staff writer “It was quite fun knowing that in class the program that brings computer savvy to
F
or the past two years, since fifth grade, we might be making something cool,” says kids through individualized attention they
Aarav Khatri woke up on the week- Aarav, now 13, who studied with the pro- may not get in school.
ends excited for more classes. gram through the summer. Samvit, a 17-year-old high school senior,
Separate from his schoolwork, his week- CS Remastered founder Samvit Agarwal is a computer science ace, a programming
end computer science classes – given for took extra time to explain to Aarav the cod- polyglot who started the volunteer teaching
free by the nonprofit CS Remastered (“CS” ing concept of recursion – something even program in 2018. And he has grown it into
for computer science) – were taught by local college students are still learning. It took a service for 300 kids like Aarav, with 250
teen volunteers at a few libraries in central two or three private lessons with exercises volunteer tutors.
New Jersey. With the guidance of tutors and that increased in difficulty, but Aarav even- As much as Samvit likes challenging
his laptop, Aarav unlocked a limitless world, tually nailed it. Because, he says, Samvit himself, he says his program focuses on
where lines of code could identify prime was “very patient ... very good at explaining “helping out some of the kids around me.”
numbers, design dictionaries, or spit out a stuff.” The impulse to serve others is driven in
Fibonacci sequence. Samvit’s brand of patience is the root of part by the Hindu community spirit of his
upbringing, Samvit says. He
plans to focus on creating
social impact in college as
he studies computer science
and business further. He’s
already thinking about the
possibility of opening up an-
other CS Remastered chap-
ter wherever he moves next.
Samvit describes a life
steeped in technology.
Raised between his par-
ents’ Indian homeland and
the United States, he has
observed their software
consulting careers and takes
part in dinner conversations
about technology’s impact
on the world. He describes
an “aha” moment in fourth
grade when a robot he built
over the course of a month
from a Lego Mindstorms kit
whirred to life on his bed-
room floor.
“It was pretty amazing to
see it walk,” says Samvit. By
the age of 12, he had started
a YouTube channel meant to
help friends and family with
their technical issues. His
how-to tech videos, which
feature steps for resetting
passwords on a range of
SARAH MATUSEK/THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
devices, have attracted more
STEEPED IN TECH: Samvit Agarwal, a 17-year-old tech whiz from New Jersey, juggles his own computer studies with than 14,000 subscribers.
running a nonprofit he founded to teach his peers high-tech skills. Sanyukta Agarwal de-

PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE
scribes her son as very indepen- Ms. Agarwal encourages this

dent. “And like any teenager he togetherness. She acknowledges
does not like mom or dad ask- her son’s work ethic, but wish-
ing him too many questions,” es he’d slow down. Samvit has
she wrote, punctuating that been juggling senior year and the
with a smiley face emoji, in an nonprofit and a comp sci class
email to the Monitor. at Princeton University, since he
During middle school, Sam- exhausted course offerings at his
vit taught himself the program- public high school. He keeps oth-
ming language Python after er coding-related passion projects
school. He has since picked spinning on the side.
up Java, HTML, CSS, and Java- Ms. Agarwal says her son is
Script through school and other committed to whatever he takes
training. If others consider the on: “I’ve sometimes seen him up
field purely technical, he sees till almost 2 in the night ...”
it more in terms of creativity. “No, that’s like very rare,”
Samvit counters from the couch.
Tailor-made lessons He claims his max is midnight.
“If I have an idea, I can ac- Samvit says his desire to pay
COURTESY OF SAMVIT AGARWAL
tually form it in front of me it forward is partly influenced by
through code,” he says in his FREE TUTORING: Samvit Agarwal has organized 250 teen volunteers who his Hindu background: “That’s
rapidfire way, as if typing out have taught 300 young people in need of computer training. Here, he helps a kind of something that I guess
student at the Plainsboro Public Library in New Jersey, December 2019.
his thoughts. “I think that’s I’ve been brought up with – that
pretty amazing.” idea of good karma, of giving
After Samvit started winning hack- which allows for breakout rooms. Since back to the community.” Each family
athons, Ms. Agarwal, his proud mom, began the instructors themselves are still in high member wears red mauli thread around a
reaching out to friends in the neighborhood school, once the school year began, all tu- wrist: a reminder of faith and invitation for
and offering Samvit’s help with their kids’ toring moved to weekend sessions. CS Re- blessings.
computer science projects. He says the mastered is seeking funding, mainly to buy
idea for the nonprofit brewed over time as its most disadvantaged students laptops for Tutors receive as much as they give
he began teaching younger peers. First he lessons. It’s also adding partners, including CS Remastered has benefited students
identified a need: tailor-made lessons for nonprofits Girls Who Code and HomeFront and tutors alike. Amisha Singh, a high
the individual. Available online resources NJ, which works to curb homelessness and school senior who started as one of CS Re-
and group-lesson formats “weren’t really for whom Samvit’s team has offered lessons. mastered’s tutors this summer and doubles
structured to fit every individual,” he says. CS Remastered has opened four chapters as the media manager, is part of the non-
Drawing on his “comp sci” courses at profit’s effort to involve more young women.
school, he started developing curricula fo- “I think in general young women aren’t
cused on one-on-one tutorials for kids 10 to “If I have an idea, I can actually made to feel like they could be good at
16. Students choose whether they want to STEM or computer science,” Amisha says.
start studying Python or Java. Though the form it in front of me through But imparting her knowledge through tutor-
coding lessons are preplanned, instructors code. I think that’s pretty ing, she adds, “has helped me get over my
adjust to each learner’s speed. impostor syndrome. ... It’s made me more
“The entire idea is to make it as flexible amazing.” confident in my abilities.”
or as adaptable to each student as possible,” – Samvit Agarwal, teen founder Parents of the program’s students see
Samvit says. that confidence shine through to their
He recruited fellow high schoolers to own kids. The receptivity generated by the
teach and registered the nonprofit with the in the U.S., one in India, and one in China. peer-to-peer coaching, says Aarav’s dad,
state of New Jersey in autumn 2018. “We thought if it’s working here, it defi- Maneesh Khatri, is the program’s strength.
Without a budget, Samvit and his fel- nitely does have the prospect to work in a “With kids, they’ll listen to others more than
low instructors began tutoring at local lot of other places across the world,” says their parents,” says the software engineer.
libraries. An adult had to chaperone and the Gen Z founder. Jyotima Prasad – a life coach whose son
“make sure they put the tables and chairs On an October evening, fall leaves cast and daughter both have studied with Samvit
back,” says Ms. Agarwal. (After countless a golden glow through the windows of the – also heaps praise on the model. “I always
parent-chauffeured rides to these sessions, Agarwals’ living room, where they’ve gath- feel that giving back and volunteering, it
the nonprofit president recently earned his ered for a socially distanced interview. After always takes a very good heart, compas-
driver’s license.) virtual work and school days, Samvit and his sionate heart, and going beyond yourself,”
Classes moved remote during the pan- parents usually convene for dinner, prayer, she says. “Those kinds of qualities in such
demic on the virtual platform Discord, and recently movies from the ’90s. a young kid ... it’s a very good thing. r

SCIENCE
AND NATURE
Could focus on America’s wolves shift to states?

By Eva Botkin-Kowacki / Staff writer wolves back to Colorado, too. Eric Wash- troduced in Yellowstone and Idaho. It has
W
hile the nation was transfixed by burn, campaign manager for Proposition mostly been lone wolves that crossed the
the presidential election, Colora- 114, argues that the wolves’ predation might border, but earlier this year, a small pack
dans had something else to howl strengthen ecosystems by reducing elk and ventured into Colorado, too.
about. deer populations that have overgrazed on Some members of the pack were killed
Five days before the election, the U.S. vegetation. when they crossed back into Wyoming,
Department of the Interior announced that, “We want these ecosystems to be as however. While Colorado does not allow
on Jan. 4, 2021, the gray wolf will be re- strong and resilient and biodiverse as pos- any hunting of wolves, Wyoming does,
moved from its list of endangered species. sible,” particularly in the face of climate something that Delia Malone, ecologist and
At the same time, Coloradans were locked in change, Mr. Washburn says. And, as has wildlife chair for the Colorado Chapter of
a fierce debate over a ballot question asking been seen in Yellowstone, he says, “We the Sierra Club, points to as a reason to
if the state should reintroduce gray wolves. believe that wolves will help contribute to reintroduce wolves directly to Colorado.
The Colorado ballot initiative, Proposi- that.” “The political landscape in Wyoming
tion 114, passed by just 2 percentage points, But in the areas where the wolves have is a gauntlet of guns and traps to wolves,”
making history as the first time a state’s returned to the landscape, the endeavor has Ms. Malone says. “What that does is make
voters, rather than the federal government, also fueled tension. Ranchers worry about
called for wolf reintroduction. their livestock being attacked, and hunters
The narrow vote in Colorado highlights worry about the welfare of wolves’ prey –
how divisive this issue can be. But advocates and their game.
on both sides hope that moving the dialogue Blake Henning, chief conservation offi-
from the federal level to the state level sets cer for the pro-hunting Rocky Mountain Elk
the stage for everyone’s voice to be heard. Foundation, which opposed Proposition 114,
Perhaps, they say, Col- says that deliberately
orado might offer a reintroducing wolves
model for other states. WHY WE WROTE THIS to Colorado, instead of
“Colorado is useful When the federal government steps letting them migrate
almost as a laborato- back on conservation, can states pick from other states,
ry,” says Ya-Wei Li, di- up the slack? A controversial project in would leave too lit-
rector for biodiversity Colorado may hold answers. tle time for humans
at the Environmental and other wildlife
Policy Innovation to acclimate to their
Center, a conservation nonprofit. “If it can presence.
balance the trade-offs, it might then signal Hunters eradicated gray wolves from
a path for other Western states to deal with Colorado by the 1940s. When they were
similar situations where there is quite a bit federally listed as an endangered spe-
of human-wildlife conflict.” cies in 1978, there were only about 1,000
wolves remaining in the lower 48 states,
Wolves at the door all in Minnesota.
Conservationists have lauded the rein- Colorado had considered wolf reintro-
troduction of gray wolves to the American duction before, but Colorado Parks and
West. In Yellowstone National Park, wolves Wildlife (CPW) rejected the proposals as
were reintroduced in the mid-1990s and are recently as 2016, instead focusing its man-
credited with changing the food chain there agement plans on wolves that might migrate
in a way that restored and stabilized the into the state on their own.
entire ecosystem. Indeed, wolves have been spotted in
The wolves have also been reintroduced northern Colorado since they were rein-
to central Idaho, and they have spread out
from both places and are currently estab-
lished in parts of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, WILD WOLVES: A gray wolf at the Wildlife Sci-
ence Center in Forest Lake, Minnesota, in 2004. A
Oregon, and Washington. They’ve also been Colorado ballot initiative to reintroduce the gray
spotted in Northern California and north- wolf into the state passed by a slim margin on
west Colorado. Nov. 3, 2020, just five days after the U.S. Depart-
To wolf advocates and conservationists, ment of the Interior announced plans to remove
these successes are justification to bring federal protections for the species.

SCIENCE AND NATURE
Colorado more essential than ever for res- tainly feel better about the state’s ability to for conservation at the state level.
toration. It turns Colorado into a kind of handle it. … They know the lay of the land, When the Endangered Species Act
sanctuary.” they have local relationships on the ground, passed in 1973, says Dr. Fischman, the
and they can respond to things when ranch- states, which had historically led conser-
Who decides? ers, hunters have concerns.” vation efforts, became “junior partners” to
To Proposition 114’s opponents, like Mr. Washburn is also optimistic that CPW the federal government.
Shawn Martini, vice president of advocacy will come up with a plan using significant in- “So I think this is a story of a revival for
for the Colorado Farm Bureau, it wasn’t a put from the ranching and hunting commu- states taking the lead in managing not just
question of “do I like wolves or not?” Rath- nities. “Maybe at the end of the day they’re their game populations, which they have
er, Mr. Martini says, it comes down to who not going to be thrilled with the plan,” the continued to do through the 1970s, but now
should decide. The strongest opposition Proposition 114 campaign manager says. to have a renaissance of conservation ef-
to the measure, he points out, came from “But I think they’ll see that it’s fair, that it forts, and a renaissance of local extinction
Colorado’s less-populous Western Slope, addresses their concerns appropriately.” reversal efforts,” he says.
where the wolves would be reintroduced. Having relationships locally is key, says
With the next steps in the state’s hands “A revival for states” Jason Shogren, chair of natural resource
rather than federal agencies, Mr. Henning Robert Fischman, a professor of law conservation and management at the Uni-
is hopeful. and public and environmental affairs at versity of Wyoming, and it can work well
“Yeah, I didn’t like the process,” he says. Indiana University, says Colorado’s move in less-populated states like Wyoming. “Ev-
“But, given that the decision is made, I cer- might herald something of a rejuvenation erybody knows everybody” there, he says.
“So there can be lots of exchange and in-
“Yeah, I didn’t like the process.

... But, given that the decision
is made, I certainly feel better
about the state’s ability to
handle it.”
– Blake Henning,
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
teraction, and all of the players that need

to be involved can get involved.”
In a much more populated state like
Colorado, Dr. Shogren cautions, “getting
all the key players together is probably the
biggest trick.”
Mr. Li of the Environmental Policy Inno-
vation Center says Proposition 114 could
suggest how to strike a balance between
federal and state conservation endeavors.
The Endangered Species Act was designed
to keep imperiled species from going ex-
tinct, he points out.
“To some degree, it’s taking where the
federal government left off under the ESA,”
Mr. Li says. Gray wolves are no longer about
to blink out of existence, he says, but they
probably still need some kind of manage-
ment. “I think states are precisely where it’s
appropriate to continue moving conserva-
tion progress forward for wolves.” r
r Questions? Comments? Email the science

DAWN VILLELLA/AP/FILE
team at sci@csmonitor.com.

POINTS
OF PROGRESS
1. United States 3. Middle East

The National Museum of the American Indian has unveiled the first national memorial to The digital revolution – sped up by
Native American veterans. The National Native American Veterans Memorial took 25 years to the pandemic – is opening doors
become a reality, but the steel ring and stone drum sculpture now sits on the National Mall in for Arab women in the workforce.
Washington, D.C., honoring the service of Native Americans in every branch of the military. It was Women are well positioned to meet
designed by Harvey Pratt, a Vietnam War veteran and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho the surging demand for digital skills
tribes. in the Middle East, experts say. In
Many Native veterans plan to sanctify the site with memories and prayers once it becomes safe some conservative communities,
to travel to the capital. “We wish for this to be a sacred place, not just for Native Americans, but for women are only comfortable turning
all Americans,” said Kevin Gover, the director of the museum and citizen of the Pawnee Nation of to other women for certain tech
Oklahoma. jobs, such as repairing a phone or
NPR computer that contains personal
photographs. And for the 44% of
women who cited work-life balance as a main
2. United States barrier to keeping a job, remote working
tempers a major obstacle for entering and
The Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng as general staying in the workforce.
manager, making her the first female GM The Middle East and North Africa have
in Major League Baseball. Ms. Ng previously some of the lowest rates of women in the
served as the league’s senior vice president of workforce in the world, with women making
baseball operations, after stints as assistant up a quarter of the labor market. Although the
GM for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New 1 pandemic is expected to leave 700,000 Middle
York Yankees. She’s had a long career with Eastern women out of work this year, a recent
MLB, beginning as a Chicago White Sox intern McKinsey study shows the so-called fourth
three decades ago. Ms. Ng is believed to be industrial revolution will ultimately double
the first woman to lead a team in any of North 2 job opportunities for women over the next
America’s four major sports leagues, and is the decade. “This is a tremendous opportunity,”
first Asian American GM in MLB history. said Jasmine di Florio, senior vice president
“I have spent countless hours advocating for at Education for Employment, a job training
young girls, advocating program that has since moved online. “These
for young women and are areas where you can reskill someone
really trying to help relatively quickly.”
them advance their THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
careers,” said Ms. Ng.
“That’s something that
is so important to me.
... There is an adage:
‘You can’t be it, if you
can’t see it.’ ... Now you
can see it.”
ESPN
JOSEPH GUZY/MIAMI MARLINS/USA TODAY SPORTS/REUTERS
PLAY BALL: Miami Marlins general

manager Kim Ng stands at Marlins
Park on Nov. 16, 2020, in Miami. She
is the first woman and Asian Ameri-
can to hold the title.
5

TROUBLED WATERS
A battle over Indigenous fishing rights
is roiling Canada’s lobster industry.
BY MOIRA DONOVAN / CORRESPONDENT
and SARA MILLER LLANA / STAFF WRITER

ANDREW VAUGHAN/THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP
Members of the Sipekne’katik First Nation head out from the wharf in
Saulnierville, Nova Scotia, after the launch of a self-regulated fishery in
September (photo left). Non-Indigenous boats protest the launch of
the fishery, which operates outside the regular lobster season (photo
above).
T
HALIFAX AND TORONTO
he day began bright and clear in St. Mary’s Bay, a
narrow finger of water running alongside the south-
western coast of Nova Scotia.
For Fallon Peter-Paul, Sept. 17 was to be a festive
occasion affirming her Indigenous rights. Along with
other members of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, she’d gathered
on the wharf in Saulnierville to celebrate the inauguration of
the community’s first lobster fishery aimed at helping members
earn a modest living. It was intentionally launched outside the
official government-set season for lobster-
ing – and exactly 21 years to the day after
Canada’s Supreme Court reaffirmed the
right of the Mi’kmaq to do so.
After years of failed negotiations to put
these rights into practice, the Mi’kmaq
knew they would be provoking a reac-
tion from non-Indigenous lobstermen and
women whose families had worked these
waters since the 1600s. But they didn’t
expect what ensued.
The mood quickly became menac-
ing the very first day. Ms. Peter-Paul, a
photographer, documented community
members standing on the armor stone
breakwater that circled the wharf like a
JOHN MORRIS/REUTERS
comma, looking out into the bay, where
several dozen boats from non-Indigenous fishing communities Lobsters sit in a crate
were waiting. Once out on the water, Indigenous lobstermen aboard an Indigenous fish-
ing boat on the Meteghan
and women reported acts of intimidation by the other fishers, River in Nova Scotia.
who cut traps and fired flares at Mi’kmaw boats.
“It was a really powerful moment,” says Ms. Peter-Paul.
“And it was also really sad ... that all of those people were there
because they didn’t believe we should be doing what we were
doing, practicing our treaty rights.”

In the days that followed, local fishers WHY WE WROTE THIS federal fishery laws. The Marshall case went
harassed and assaulted the Indigenous lob- Canada has sought to redress historic all the way to Canada’s Supreme Court,
sterers. They briefly barricaded one in a grievances among its Indigenous populations. which ruled in 1999 that the Mi’kmaw and
storage facility, which days later was burned Its handling of a dispute over fishing rights Maliseet people had the right to a “moderate
to the ground. They seized crates of lobsters in Nova Scotia shows the challenge of livelihood” fishery – one defined ambigu-
harvested by the Indigenous community; navigating cultural and economic divisions. ously as providing “necessities” but not for
hundreds of lobsters were subsequently the “accumulation of wealth” – outside the
found dumped on the ground. federally regulated fishing season.
Top Canadian officials quickly con- interest in keeping the industry thriving in a The English and French, for their part,
demned the violence. The attacks spawned place that has been traumatized by declin- settled in the Maritimes centuries ago for the
headlines around the world in what became ing fish stocks. This is especially true at a stocks of cod, salmon, halibut, and lobster
known as Canada’s “lobster wars.” time when the pandemic has temporarily that thrived in the chilly Atlantic waters. But
Now, with the commercial season in Nova cut off customers for the area’s succulent in the 1990s, groundfish stocks in the area
Scotia’s most lucrative lobster fishing area, crustaceans. Even more worrisome, climate – including, most infamously, northern cod
LFA 34, just opening, the two sides have change is threatening to undermine local – collapsed. Other fisheries, such as scallop
never been more divided. Sipekne’katik stocks permanently. grounds, shrank and their harvesting passed
First Nation announced Nov. 13 it would file All these forces are swirling in the cobalt into corporate hands. That has left lobster as
a series of lawsuits against non-Indigenous waters off Nova Scotia, where everyone also the only community-based inshore fishery
fishers for alleged damages. knows one other painful fact: Lobster is the in the region.
Commercial fishers and many in the only real option left to harvest viably from Today lobster is king in Nova Scotia, its
tightknit communities where lobstering is these waters. top export commodity. The industry itself,
the backbone of the economy say it’s unfair romanticized from the outside, is one of the
that the Mi’kmaq are fishing outside the r r r reasons this conflict has made headlines
regular season, citing a decline in the popu- around the world. Trevor Corson, the au-
lation of the species as their prime concern. Both sides have deep ties to the sea. thor of “The Secret Life of Lobsters,” notes
Indigenous fishers and their allies counter The Mi’kmaq have hunted and fished for how lobsters capture the imagination and
that this is yet another example of racism thousands of years across Atlantic Canada. symbolize a “kind of rugged individualism.”
and an inability of Canadians and their gov- They maintained their right to do so after “The lobster is a classic monster, almost
ernment to enforce their legal rights. colonization, as enshrined in the Peace and alien, seemingly built for pure survival in
It’s a battle about jobs and livelihoods, Friendship Treaties of 1752 and 1760-61. But the dark depths, and if it were any bigger
ethnic identities and cultures, and deeply the treaties have never been systematically it would terrify us,” he says.
embedded family and social traditions. Yet upheld. Then, in 1993, a man named Donald The violent clashes have hurt the pride of
it’s also a clash about something else: the Marshall Jr. decided to go fishing. Nova Scotia, the heart of Canada’s billion-
future of what was once one of the most He tried to illegally catch eels as an as- dollar lobster industry. Indeed, Susan Bea-
fecund fisheries in the world. sertion of his Indigenous rights. Authorities ton, a commercial lobsterwoman, notes how
Both sides recognize they have a shared charged him with three counts of violating much lobstering is bound up in the image of
the province. But the latest skirmishes are
“turning that on its head,” she says.
Growing up, her father harvested lobster,
as well as other species. As a teenager, Ms.
Beaton helped him catch groundfish with
gillnets on Nova Scotia’s North Shore, and
she would arrive back at the wharf covered
in fish entrails. Ms. Beaton bought her own
lobster license in the 1990s, shortly after the
Marshall decision.
In her experience, Indigenous and
non-Indigenous fishers have worked peace-
fully alongside one another in the commer-
cial season, which runs May to June in her
area, for the past two decades.
But she says the recent launch of moder-
ate livelihood fisheries outside the commer-
cial season has non-Indigenous lobsterers,
many of whom have watched the collapse
of other species due to poor management,
worrying about the impact on conservation
– a claim many scientists question.
“I think some of the urgency we feel
about it is that it’s been fairly well man-
JOHN MORRIS/REUTERS
aged. We’ve sort of hit a sweet spot now with
Canadian federal police officers investigate the remains of a lobster pound that was destroyed by a fire lobster,” she says. “And we’ve been pretty
in Middle West Pubnico, Nova Scotia. Local fishers reacted angrily to the launch by Indigenous lobster-
stable. So yeah, we’re pretty guarded about
ers of a self-regulated fishery in September.
it. We know that ... it doesn’t take much to

“The lobster is a classic destabilize these things.”

She condemns the violence. And she
A commercial fishing boat leaves port in West
Dover, Nova Scotia, on Nov. 26, 2019, the first
day of the annual lobster season on Nova Scotia’s
monster, almost alien, worries it has hardened both sides’ positions
– rolling back gains made in a relationship
South Shore.
seemingly built for pure that has been productive. When a local pulp
mill wanted to pump effluent directly into Halifax. “That’s where people’s lives are
survival in the dark the Northumberland Strait, threatening lo-
cal fishing grounds, commercial fishers and
most deeply impacted and changed by the
structures of race and racial inequality.”
depths, and if it were any local Indigenous groups worked together It’s also where court decisions and politi-
last year to oppose the plan. Now, because cal rhetoric are most intimately felt, whether
bigger it would terrify us.” of the tensions and violence, she worries in terms of both personal safety or material
such cooperation will vanish. gain and loss. After the Marshall decision,
– Trevor Corson,
the government spent millions of dollars
author of “The Secret Life of Lobsters”
r r r buying licenses to transfer to Indigenous
fishers, as well as on vessels and training,
Canada is grappling with the encroach- to bring First Nations into the commercial
ment of white settlers on Indigenous territo- market.
ry in ways the United States hasn’t. But even That brought in significant jobs and in-
here, correcting injustices is something that come. According to a report issued last year
is easier to do in principle than in practice. by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a think
“The community level is actually the tank in Ottawa, Ontario, total fishing reve-
front lines of racism,” says Robert Huish, nues for the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet on their
associate professor of international devel- lands in all Maritime provinces grew from
opment studies at Dalhousie University in $3 million in 1999 to $152 million in 2016.

In early November, a coalition of tapped me, pulled my ribbon dress. And
Mi’kmaw nations announced the purchase she said, ‘You that lobster fisherwoman?’”
of a 50% stake in Halifax-based Clearwater, When Ms. Francis confirmed it, the girl said,
North America’s largest shellfish producer. “When I grow up, I want to be like you. I
The deal involves offshore fishing, not the want to fish like you.”
inshore lobstering that has been in dispute. “Everything switched,” Ms. Francis says.
Many in the local community feel that In- “And I realized if I quit, who would these
digenous fishers have already received suffi- children look up to? Who would these sisters
cient support. They resent special privileges look up to? I’ve inspired a handful of women
granted to Indigenous groups. They don’t to buy boats and to go fishing. And that, to
understand the rights that First Nations me, means more than anything.”
possess outside the federal Fisheries and
Oceans Canada management system – no- r r r
tably, the right to fish when they want, just
as their ancestors did prior to colonization. The clash over crustaceans has turned
Susanna Fuller, a marine conservationist into a larger protest for Indigenous rights
at Oceans North in Halifax, says she can see in Canada. Dwight Newman, a law profes-
the non-Indigenous perspective. “Particular- sor at the University of Saskatchewan who
ly in lobstering, which has got this strange studies the issue, says the launching of the
informal tenure system where usually a fish- moderate livelihood fishery in Nova Scotia
erman will fish in the same area year after fits in with a larger pattern across Canada.
year. ... There is a lot of ‘this is where Danny The year started with the Wet’suwet’en
fishes, and that’s where Steven fishes,’” she demonstrations against the building of a
says. “So imagine you’re a non-Indigenous natural gas pipeline through their traditional
fisher, and you’re sitting in your house and territory in British Columbia. In the face of
your boat is hauled up, and you’re not fish- heavy-handedness by the Royal Canadian
ing right now because it’s outside the agreed Mounted Police – who have been criticized
season for non-Indigenous fishery. And you in Nova Scotia for reacting passively as First
see somebody out there fishing where you Nations have been attacked during the lob-
usually fish. ster dispute – the protests spread through
“But that feeling of wanting to protect
their territory should in some way give
non-Indigenous people a sense of what the First Nation lobster boats gear up in Saulnierville,
Nova Scotia (photo right). Indigenous lobsterman
Mi’kmaq and First Nations are feeling and
Jason Lamrock tosses an undersized lobster over-
have felt for 300 years,” she says. board (photo bottom right). Michael Sack, right,
Mi’kmaw fisher Marilynn-Leigh Francis chief of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, presents
is one who felt aggrieved, and in 2016, de- the first lobster license and trap tags at a fisheries
cided she’d had enough. Ms. Francis, who launch (photo below).
is from Acadia First Nation, started taking
her small boat out in St. Mary’s Bay in the
summer to drop roughly a dozen traps for
lobster. She harvested enough for herself
and to give away to members of the com-
munity, with some for sale.
She did so without a license. Instead,
she saw her fishing as part of her inherent
right to resources, including lobster. She
marked her buoys with “1752” to reflect the
date of peace and friendship treaties signed
between Europeans and the Mi’kmaq.
“I was tired of being a federal ward of
the government. I was tired of being a pris-
oner within my own homeland,” she says.
“I talked to my mom. I talked to our elders.
And I was told to fish like our ancestors did.
So that’s what I did.”
Federal authorities seized her traps,
members of her own community criticized
her, and non-Indigenous fishers at the wharf
intimidated her. They vandalized her proper-
ty and circulated her photo on social media.
It all wore her down.
Then, at a gathering in 2018, a young
girl approached Ms. Francis. “She kind of

Canadian society, leading to shutdowns of
streets and rail blockades.
“First Nations in Nova Scotia see this as
a time when they can assert a fuller recog-
nition of their rights than they might have
received at some other time,” he says.
It coincides with Canadian Prime Minis-
ter Justin Trudeau’s stated commitment to
reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and
Métis. Demonstrations against systematic
racism also broke out in Canadian cities
after the killing of African American George
Floyd by a white American police officer.
All this reflects a dramatic shift in
support for Indigenous causes. When In-
“I talked to my mom.
I talked to our elders.
And I was told to fish like
our ancestors did. So that’s
what I did.”
– Marilynn-Leigh Francis,
Mi’kmaw lobster fisher
digenous members first tested their legal

rights after the Marshall decision 21 years
ago and violence erupted, locals say they
can’t recall receiving any backing from non-
Indigenous groups. Now they have allies
across the country.
In the wake of the fishing dispute in Saul-
nierville, the owners of Dear Friend, a bar
three hours away in Dartmouth, Nova Sco-
tia, decided to take the most popular item
off the menu – the lobster roll – in support
of the Indigenous cause.
It was a way “to magnify the situation,
but to also raise funds for front-liners, who
were working at the Meteghan Wharf to
promote peace on the Indigenous side,” says
Matt Boyle, co-owner of the establishment.
Dear Friend has been joined by several
other restaurants in Halifax, Toronto, and
Montreal.
Professor Newman says the lobster
wars may not inspire a larger movement
the way the Wet’suwet’en protest did. That
was clearly seen as a “David and Goliath”
fight – an Indigenous nation against Big
Oil. Here their opponents are fishing fami-
lies who are vulnerable in their own ways.
This includes the impact from the pandem-
ic, which has cut lobster exports to China;
climate change; and, some say, the pressure
of corporate interests on Canada’s only re-
maining community-based inshore fishery.
And the environmental message is murky.
JOHN MORRIS/REUTERS
In its ruling, the Supreme Court noted

that the government does have the right to
restrict a moderate livelihood fishery in the
punamu, or Atlantic tomcod, a fish that is
culturally important to the Mi’kmaq. But the
“I want to be able to
name of conservation. Commercial fishers
point out that the fishery was started at the
way this project is structured is as signifi-
cant as the species they’re studying.
hand this down to my
time of year when lobsters are molting. The project, called Apoqnmatulti’k, is children. And if I can’t do
But many scientists doubt any of this will a three-year study combining Western sci-
adversely affect lobster populations. They entific techniques with Mi’kmaw ecological that, that’s where the
note that the Sipekne’katik First Nation is- principles and local knowledge. The focus
sued just 11 licenses, which encompasses is on three species – tomcod, American eel, uncertainty affects us the
about 500 traps, a tiny fraction of the com- and American lobster – in the Bay of Fundy
mercial industry. And they point out that and, in the north of the province, the salt- most.”
the U.S. doesn’t restrict lobstering during water Bras D’Or Lake. The project blends
– Non-Indigenous fisherman
molting. Indigenous and Western ways to see the
Yet questions endure about future popu- world from both perspectives.
lations. With more Mi’kmaw communities “We’re building a different way of do-
launching their own moderate livelihood ing research that is guided by community
fisheries, some worry it could eventually
lead to a decline in lobster stocks.
One lobsterman who works in LFA 33,
which adjoins LFA 34, says he and his fellow
fishers aren’t greedy as the media have de-
picted them. (He asked that his name not be
used, out of concern that he and his family
could be targeted online.) Instead, with two
lobster licenses, a snow crab license, and a
boat, he says he’s more than $1 million (Ca-
nadian; U.S.$764,000) in debt. While lobster
stocks in his fishing area are healthy, he’s
worried what out-of-season fishing could
mean for the long-term sustainability of
the industry.
“Since being a young fisherman, young
captain, the most important thing to me,
to be honest, is not the money. The most
important thing to me is ... I want to be able
to hand this down to my children. And if I
can’t do that, that’s where the uncertainty
affects us the most.”
r r r
MATTHEW BAILEY/VWPICS/AP/FILE
But that’s why some see the room for knowledge, values, and their priorities,” Lobster traps line the harbor in Saulnierville, Nova
Scotia. The collapse of groundfish stocks and
common ground. Dr. Fuller points to a re- says Skyler Jeddore, who is from Eska-
corporate takeovers have left lobster as the only
cent labor market study that shows a 40% soni First Nation and is community liaison community-based inshore fishery in the region.
shortage of workers over the next 10 years and field technician for the Apoqnmatulti’k
in Atlantic Canada’s fisheries – a gap that project in the Bras D’Or Lake.
First Nations could help fill. Many believe the research project could
Both groups also face the same threat be a template for shared stewardship of lob-
from climate change, which is warming ster populations.
waters and could eventually force lobster “We work together, we collect any infor-
populations farther north and offshore. And mation, we share the information, and we
they are uniquely positioned to share learn- at the end all understand what’s going on
ings and best practices as a path forward. together,” says Mr. Porter. “That’s the path
Once a week, commercial fisherman forward. ... First, we have to learn how to
Darren Porter backs his boat down a ramp talk to each other.”
and into the muddy waters of the Halfway In a dispute where much of the tension
River, which flows into the Bay of Fundy. has hinged on the conservation of a spe-
On the boat, he joins master’s students cies that will affect the future of Indigenous
from a nearby university and employees and non-Indigenous communities alike, that
from the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group. template offers a potential way forward, Mr.
“We’re tagging fish, doing surgeries [for Porter says. “We all have to look past our
tags], tracking fish, stuff like that,” says own needs and wants. We’ve got to start
Mr. Porter. doing something for somebody else, instead
The team is conducting work on of just doing stuff for ourselves.” r

Editorials 29
Global Patterns by Ned Temko 30
PERSPECTIVES
Global Newsstand 31
ON THE
The Home Forum 32
WORLD In a Word 33
A Christian Science Perspective 33
“First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”
America’s new pastime: Police reform
W
hen a society turns to finger- to the protection of errant officers. America’s racial history has shaped polic-
pointing, which seems to be a pas- Polls show a majority of Americans seek ing. Yet just as important is what police face
time in America these days, the to strengthen rather than “defund” police on the streets. In the two weeks following
rush to blame can obscure progress. Parti- departments. “For me, it’s about the kind of the election, there were more than 2,500
san battles over the pandemic, protests over world we want to leave behind and how po- incidents of violence involving guns, accord-
racial injustice, and contested election re- licing would look 10 or 20 years from now,” ing to the Gun Violence Archive. Gun sales
sults portray, to one point the Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, have surged over the past year. Just since
of view, a house divided. THE MONITOR’S VIEW a co-director of Power In- the election, 15 officers have been shot or
Yet plenty of evidence terfaith in Philadelphia, killed in the line of duty.
exists that American society is striving to be told Vox News. From the ballot box to city hall, this
more democratic and compassionate. The His colleague, Bishop Dwayne Royster, year has brought overdue scrutiny to law
most obvious example is the diligent effort is more succinct. “I think the community enforcement. Debates over how officers
by local officials and countless volunteers to wants healing,” he told the Los Angeles conduct themselves should ripen into new
ensure an orderly, fair, and transparent elec- Times. partnerships between citizens and police.
tion. A less apparent The recent videos of fatal encounters Demonizing the police is no more produc-
but no less significant between police and civilians have stirred tive than demonizing the protesters of police
example is the mo- action to reduce an experience far too com- brutality. Reimagining policing to ensure a
mentum to reform mon for Black citizens. A new space has just and compassionate society is a project
police departments opened to understand and address the way all Americans can serve and protect. 
in order to prevent
unjust killings like
that of George Floyd
in May.
Ten cities and fourIraq, Saudi Arabia span a divide
counties put 20 police
A
reform measures on the Nov. 3 ballot across key desert crossing at the heart of reflects other shifts in the Mideast, such as
eight states. Voters approved all of them. the Middle East reopened Nov. 18, recent recognition of Israel by a few more
Those initiatives are by no means a com- three decades after being closed. Arab states and a restless youth mobilized
plete list of the reforms underway. Local At the Arar transit point, Saudi Arabia on social media. At a practical level, Iraq
governing councils across the country are began to allow vehicles from Iraq to cross needs Saudi investments to provide jobs and
taking steps without direct voter initiative. the 505-mile border. It was a tangible sign to recover from a devastating war with the
These efforts include both new and old of a growing tolerance between Shiite- Islamic State. Saudi Arabia seeks to counter
ideas. In Los Angeles County, Measure J will dominated Iraq and Sun- Iran’s strong hand in Iraq.
divert at least 10% of the county’s general ni-dominated Saudi Ara- THE MONITOR’S VIEW Yet each shows a willing-
fund to “community development” and alter- bia – and a counterpoint ness to curb the historic
natives to incarceration. In San Francisco, to Iran’s religious aggression in the region. Sunni-Shiite rivalry in the Middle East. As
Proposition E will remove mandatory levels Just days before the opening, leaders of a struggling democracy, Iraq is now better
for police staffing. Other measures around the two Arab nations issued a statement cit- able to balance the interests of its Sunni
the United States require dash and body ing “the need to keep the region away from and Shiite populations. And Saudi Arabia is
cameras for police, ban chokeholds, and tensions.” That is quite a contrast to Saudi trying to show a new face of moderate Islam.
rule out “no knock” warrants. Arabia writing off Iraq as a “lost cause” in The line of cargo trucks at the Iraq-Saudi
The most popular reform involves closer 2003 after Shiites took power in Baghdad border was more than a sign of commercial
citizen review of police policies and actions following the ouster of Saddam Hussein. exchange. The two countries “follow the
through advisory commissions. Such com- The border was first closed in 1990 after same religion and share the same interests
missions are not new. There are more than Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait. and challenges,” said Saudi Crown Prince
150 nationwide. Many serve as a check on A rapprochement between the two oil Mohammed bin Salman. And, he might have
the power of police unions that often lead giants has been five years in the making. It added, it’s about time they show it. 

PERSPECTIVES
LONDON
Lockdown to liberty, and back again

T
his is a story about seesaws. But not Their governments knew this was un- Some European leaders are hold-
the kind you find in your neighbor- likely to be true, but they faced a political ing out the carrot of a normal family
hood playground. problem: how to convince citizens who Christmas, or something like it. Others
It’s about policy seesaws, now playing were reveling in a return to their famil- are voicing more caution, warning, for
out in a pandemic-fraught Europe, as iar lives that COVID-19 was “not tired” instance, that large-scale holiday gather-
governments have swung from strict of them and that they should behave ings won’t be possible.
lockdowns to relaxed tolerance and now accordingly, with caution. But none has yet dared to proclaim
back again. And their exam- If they had succeeded, they an explicit anti-seesaw message – that
ple has implications an ocean could perhaps have relied on however difficult it sounds, Christmas
away, as U.S. President-elect mask-wearing and physical and much else in people’s lives may have
Joe Biden prepares to as- distancing to keep cases low, to be abnormal this year, to avoid another
sume office in January. along with widespread testing seesaw in the new year.
One lesson may seem and tracking, allowing for more For President-elect Biden, the current
obvious, but it still matters limited, targeted restrictions on picture across the Atlantic provides a
hugely. The pandemic hasn’t everyday life. stark reminder of the challenge he’ll be
gone away and it’s not likely But by the time the new up against.
G LO B A L PAT T E R N S
to do so soon. A scientist COVID-19 wave hit Europe in But if Europe does learn the policy
behind the new Pfizer vac- BY NED TEMKO October, it was too late. That perils of the seesaw, if its citizens do
cine told the BBC it would Connecting key themes explains the policy seesaw, the accept the need for a more measured
not allow a “normal” life for in the world’s news. sudden move to much tighter reopening after this round of lockdowns,
another year. restrictions, even lockdowns, and it works, Mr. Biden will be able to
As the head of the World Health Orga- much like those earlier this year. point to an encouraging example.
nization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, The key question now – one that the Yet the next president’s ultimate
put it recently, “We might be tired of incoming American president and his challenge may well be to tackle the very
COVID-19. But it’s not tired of us.” team will no doubt be asking, too – is American politicization of the pandemic,
While each European government about the future: how to avert yet an- which colors attitudes about everything
has chosen its own level of lockdown in other exercise in policy seesawing a few from masking and distancing to treat-
recent weeks, the new restrictions all months from now. ments and vaccines.
have something in common: They were In Europe, the answer still hangs in Putting Europe’s lessons to practi-
imposed suddenly after months of rela- the balance. With health systems under cal effect will be more than a matter
tive official insouciance. obvious pressure, most European citizens of policy choices. Rather, it is likely to
Over the summer, Europeans lulled are complying with the new regulations. depend on how successful Mr. Biden is at
themselves into an assumption that after But, especially because of the econom- achieving the dauntingly ambitious com-
the COVID-19 onslaught in the spring, ic hardship caused by the reimposed mitment at the heart of his presidential
the worst of the pandemic was over and restrictions, they also remain “tired of campaign: to begin to dampen America’s
things were under control. COVID-19.” partisan rancor and to heal its divisions. r
Director of Editorial Innovation Staff Writers and Special Correspondents Director of Photography
Clay Collins Laurent Belsie, Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Alfredo Sosa
Audience Engagement Editor Ryan Lenora Brown, Harry Bruinius, Staff Photographers
David C. Scott Christa Case Bryant, Lenora Chu, Whitney Eulich, Melanie Stetson Freeman
Editor
Linda Feldmann, Peter Ford, Henry Gass, Ann Hermes
Mark Sappenfield Cover Story Editor Peter Grier, Story Hinckley, Stephen Humphries,
Scott Armstrong Patrik Jonsson, Francine Kiefer, Martin Kuz, Operations Manager
Managing Editor Lily Mui
Deputy Weekly Edition Editor, Books Editor Howard LaFranchi, Sara Miller Llana,
Amelia Newcomb
April Austin Taylor Luck, Sarah Matusek, Jessica Mendoza, Director, Graphics and Multimedia
Senior Editors Simon Montlake, Eoin O’Carroll, Scott Peterson, Jacob Turcotte
Chief Editorial Writer
Arthur Bright, Kim Campbell, Judy Douglass, Peter Rainer, Dominique Soguel, Ann Scott Tyson, Graphic Designer/Illustrator
Clayton Jones
Clara Germani, Molly Jackson, Ken Kaplan, Fred Weir Karen Norris
Content Editor, Daily Edition Liz Marlantes, Trudy Palmer, Mark Trumbull Copy Desk Editor Digital Story Team Leader
Yvonne Zipp Staff Editors Casey Fedde Samantha Laine Perfas
Husna Haq, Anna Tarnow, Angela Wang Deputy Copy Desk Editor New Storytelling/Engagement Editor
Content Editor, Weekly Edition Erin McNeill
Intern Editor Rebecca Asoulin
Noelle Swan
Kendra Nordin Beato Managing Editor, Design Multimedia Producer
Julie Fallon Jingnan Peng

PERSPECTIVES
G LO B A L N E W S S TA N D
THE DAILY STAR / DHAKA, BANGLADESH
We still must take action to reduce spread of COVID-19

“It is of great concern that ... many regions in the globe are having a second onslaught of Covid-19, belying
predications and dashing hopes of the impending demise of the pandemic before the end of the year,” states
an editorial. “... The situation in Bangladesh, regrettably, is not much different from what we are seeing in
many other countries. ... The government order of no-mask-no-service is being continuously disregarded.
... This must be strictly enforced, not by sporadically fining a few transgressors but constant oversight and
strict enforcement measures. The screening of incoming passengers at the international airport must con-
tinue. We suggest cheaper and more testing facilities be made available. ... We all have to remember that
this is not the time to let our guard down.”
THE IRISH TIMES / DUBLIN
Climate pledges are easy. Legislating is difficult.

“International commitments and long-term pledges are the easy part of climate policy,” writes Diarmuid Torney, associate professor
at Dublin City University. “Translating those lofty ambitions into concrete domestic action is significantly more challenging. ... If Repub-
licans control the [U.S.] Senate, the prospect of such legislation seems a long shot. ... In such circumstances, the Biden administration
would resort to executive action to bypass Congress. ... Executive action is by its nature vulnerable to reversal by a future president
of a different political persuasion. ... In this context, the increasing polarisation of American politics is troubling. ... [President-elect
Joe] Biden’s commitment to rejoin the Paris Agreement is a good first step, but his administration will need to work hard to repair a
damaged international reputation. ... The biggest tragedy is that four years have been wasted. We did not have four years to waste.”
ARAB NEWS / RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA
Post-pandemic economic reset must include women

“The pandemic is having a devastating impact on society at large, but with a greater impact on women in their multiple roles and
responsibilities,” writes Dr. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, chair of the Group of 20’s Women’s Engagement Group. “... The G20 leaders know
that, when women thrive and are included in their countries’ economies, all communities – men and women, young and old – thrive
as well. ... They can reset the G20 economies by planning a recovery based on the principle of inclusiveness. ... The whole world is
looking for collective leadership. ... All efforts will be futile without the inclusion of women.”
THE GLOBE AND MAIL / TORONTO
American election signals need for global reform

“I’ve headed election observer missions in three different countries – Sierra Leone, Peru and Ukraine – each of which have pro-
vided a unique perch from which to observe ... forces trying to suppress voting,” writes Lloyd Axworthy, chair of the World Refugee
Council. “... In all three cases, a massive turnout of voters emerged to bring about democratic change. ... At this moment, the legitimate
expression of the American vox populi ... appears to be withstanding the attacks of U.S. President Donald Trump and his enablers in
the Republican Party. ... Their attempts, however, are a wake-up call to all democracies. ... It’s time to overhaul [the Canadian] election
system to open pathways for broader participation. ... A plan to reform our own parliamentary democracy would be a good model to
share with the world.”
THE TIMES OF INDIA / MUMBAI, INDIA
India shouldn’t worry about past Trump-Modi ties

“President-elect Joe Biden has begun following up on the many congratulatory messages from world leaders,” states an editorial.
“On [Nov. 17] he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after which the latter tweeted that they had discussed shared priorities and
concerns. ... This conversation comes in the context of speculation that the Modi administration had put too many eggs in the Trump
basket. ... These fears are overblown. Geopolitical winds ensure continuity in the India-US relationship. ... A less transactional US
presidency could also see progress for India on the trade front. The China-dominated Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) indeed provides further impetus for an India-US trade agreement.”
– Compiled by Nick Roll / Staff writer

THE
HOME
FORUM ©
My helper was closer than I thought

T
wenty-seven-and-a-half pounds I was driving an SUV on a lonely it before it rolled off into the dark ditch
may not seem like much. But to
someone with spindly arms like
road at night when a tire blew on Ithe other side of the shoulder.
rolled the spare around to its des-
mine, it can be a challenge. That’s how out. Who would rescue me? tination and leaned it against the side
much our 1988 Chevy Suburban’s full- of the vehicle. How could I ever lift it
size spare weighed. high enough for the
There’s no good holes to go onto the
place to have a flat thingies that the lug
tire. However, a well- nuts attach to? (I was
lit area – away from having doubts about
traffic and close to that helper.)
people who can help While I pondered
– would be better how to lift the spare,
than the narrow I went around to
shoulder of an inter- the back again and
state in the middle of tackled the challenge
nowhere on a dark of getting the busted
night. tire into the Subur-
But that’s where ban. Fortunately, the
I sat, having a “Now blowout had ripped a
what?” moment in long slit in the side-
the wake of a blown wall, and I stuck the
tire. This was before fingers of both hands
ubiquitous cell- into the tear, grabbed
phones. (I knew one hold, and swung the
person who had one, tire in a wide arc up
and it was about the onto the tailgate far
size of two Cracker enough for me to
Jack boxes taped push it in the rest of
IKON IMAGES/AP
together.) So I had no the way.
way to call for help. RATS! The problem is obvious. The mystery is, what’s with the U.S. dime image on the hubcap? Meanwhile, a
I’d been in the pres- solution to lifting the
ence of a couple of tire changes but had Traffic was light: only the occasional spare began to emerge. I sat flat on the
never indulged in one myself. Perhaps semi blowing past. That was good, be- ground, facing the target for the spare
someone would stop and help me. cause the distance between the tire and and bent my leg so my calf was in front
I turned on the flashers and waited. the edge of the pavement was less than of me. Then I rolled the spare onto my
While I waited, it occurred to me to do two feet. On the other hand, little traffic calf and scooted forward, lifted my knee,
some preliminary things to assist the made it less likely that someone would and – voilà! – slipped the holes onto the
anticipated helper. I found the owner’s stop and help. thingies! I hand-tightened the lug nuts.
manual and the diagram that showed To avoid thinking about that, I studied Now all I had to do was lower the ve-
where they hid the jack. the jack arrangement and decided to see hicle and tighten the lug nuts sufficiently
I got out and confirmed that the blow- if it really worked. It did! The wounded to keep the wheel from coming off. I no
out was the left-rear tire. Then I explored tire was now off the ground. It might be longer felt the need to be rescued. In fact,
the cavernous area under the hood possible for me to remove it. With a bit of now I hoped that no one would come
and found a relatively tiny jack. More effort, I wrestled the tire off and rolled it along and get in my way!
research revealed where the jack should around behind the Suburban. One more I lowered the jack and put it back in
go and how to assemble it. I went ahead thing my helper wouldn’t have to do. its hiding place. To be sure the lug nuts
and got it positioned – to make it easier As long as I was back there, maybe were tight enough, I stood on the arm of
for my helper. I could get the spare out, too. I lowered the wrench for the last turn.
I also found the tool to loosen the lug the tailgate and climbed inside, where I One hour and 29 minutes after the
nuts, feeling very mechanically savvy for found the huge spare resting in its inden- blowout, I started the engine. My spindly
knowing what lug nuts were. Reasoning tation. I rocked it out, rolled it to the edge arms steered me back onto the pavement
that it would be better to loosen them be- of the tailgate, and climbed down. Then – with one of the greatest feelings of
fore jacking up the vehicle, I did so – less I coaxed the spare over the edge of the accomplishment I’ve ever experienced.
work for my helper. tailgate and, none too gracefully, caught – J. Shannon Roe

THE HOME FORUM ©
Tips on how to become a viz. whiz
T
hree Latin abbreviations Danes, mastiffs, Rottweilers.” monic I like for i.e. is “in essence.”
cause no end of confusion E.g. always implies that what Then there is viz., short for videlicet
in English, viz. i.e., e.g., follows is not an exhaustive list (“it is permissible to see” in Latin; pro-
and viz. itself. I had to think – our trainer might also work nounced vi-DEL-i-set), which was once
carefully about the correct way with, say, Irish wolfhounds – so the most popular of these abbreviations.
to use viz. here, because it is an it is redundant to conclude with In 1810 it was used about 10 times more
abbreviation I have often read IN A WORD
“etc.” or “and so on.” If you’re frequently than either i.e. or e.g., appear-
– 18th- and 19th-century texts BY MELISSA MOHR
trying to figure out whether it’s ing not just in scholarly treatises and
are chock-full of viz. – yet never the right abbreviation for your legal briefs but in personal letters and
before employed. I.e. and e.g. can sentence, this mnemonic might diaries. Writers sprinkled it so liberally
be confounding enough, without bringing be helpful: e.g. equals “example given.” across their compositions that modern
viz. into it. They are “frequently confused I.e. stands for id est, “that is.” In mavens have a hard time pinning down
even by the most conscientious writers,” English it is best translated as “that is rules for its use. Like i.e., viz. can preface
according to Merriam-Webster. to say,” as in “My dog is a typical Great an exhaustive list, so the University of
The three abbreviations seem to have Dane, i.e., large, loyal, and friendly.” North Carolina writing center calls it “a
appeared in the 15th and 16th centu- According to Fowler’s Modern English stronger version of i.e.” But others stress
ries, when English speakers were in Usage, i.e. introduces “another way ... of differences between the two, finding that
the habit of poaching terms from Latin putting what has already been said.” It is where i.e. paraphrases its antecedent, viz.
legalese. E.g. (exempli gratia, “by way a restatement of what has come before. clarifies it or adds more detail.
of example”) is by far the most popular This can trespass into e.g.’s territory, What most modern experts do agree
today, according to Google Books Ngram when the restatement comprises a com- on is that viz. has had its day. I.e. and
Viewer. It is basically a fancy way to say prehensive list: “She trains big dogs; i.e., e.g. are enough to handle by themselves.
“for example” as it is used to introduce Great Danes, mastiffs, and Rottweilers.” As language expert Brian Garner jokes,
specific examples of a more general topic In this case, i.e. indicates that she trains “How does one pronounce viz.? Prefera-
or point: “She trains big dogs, e.g., Great only these three dog breeds. The mne- bly by saying ‘namely.’” 
Prayer – an effective form of action
M
any years ago, when working is no legitimate power opposed to God, It’s a message I’ve taken to heart
in law enforcement, I was in a who is divine Truth and Love. “Winning” thinking about protests that turn violent,
situation where a crowd formed to me means seeing the Christ, the Truth looting, and other unrest we see these
very quickly and began throwing bottles that Jesus demonstrated, all around us. days. While protests, when peaceful, can
and rocks at us. Immediately, I turned to The Christ-idea comes harmoniously to be a valid expression of discontent with
God for help. Although I don’t recall the each and every one of us, helping us re- the status quo, for those wanting to make
specifics of my prayer, I do remember alize our real, spiritual identity as God’s a difference, taking to the streets isn’t
praying to feel unity. children – unified, peaceful, safe. the only option available. Praying more
The order was given to us to “hold This realization enables us to neither diligently and consistently is an import-
our ground.” At first, I thought we should retreat nor charge, but instead to stead- ant step.
either move forward fastly hold our position There’s a passage in Science and
or retreat to cover. A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE – hold to the goodness Health that helps us understand how to
However, I did follow PERSPECTIVE and harmony of God’s pray effectively. Mrs. Eddy referred to the
orders, as did the other creation. Divine Love “humble prayers” of Jesus, who demon-
officers. is ever present and all-powerful, here strated God’s healing and saving power
There’s a deeper, spiritual sense of to guide everyone in taking the right in profound ways, as “deep and con-
“holding our ground” that I am also fa- steps. Each of us can affirm God’s allness scientious protests of Truth, – of man’s
miliar with. In “Science and Health with anytime, anywhere, in any set of circum- likeness to God and of man’s unity with
Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy, stances. And taking this prayerful stand Truth and Love” (p. 12).
the discoverer of Christian Science and supports a peaceful outcome. Each of us can take part in this form
founder of this news organization, says, This proved to be true in that situa- of action – in prayer that is a spiritual and
“Hold your ground with the unshaken tion with the crowd. None of us were hit mental protest against the notion that
understanding of Truth and Love, and by the debris being thrown at us, and any problem is beyond the reach of God’s
you will win” (p. 417). In this instance she suddenly the crowd dispersed. To me healing power.
is specifically referring to healing sick- this experience showed how the light of Such prayer opens the door for the
ness, but I’ve found this idea helpful in the Christ, God’s saving power, is always light of Christ to shine, even in the
situations of all kinds, including conflict. shining right where we are, revealing darkness.
Christian Science explains that there God’s children to be safe, protected. – Martin Vesely

THE HOME FORUM ©
Words in the news

Starred clues are linked to current events. Hint:
There are two news-related babies in this puzzle.
By Owen Thomas
Across 20. Feeling of irritation

1. French manufacturer that 23. “Come in!”
helped revolutionize the pen *24. Ancestral Irish home of U.S.
market in the 1950s President-elect Joe Biden
*3. Now the most-watched video 25. Stress
on YouTube, with 7 billion views 26. Mine (abbrev.)
*8. Announced ban on sale of
new fossil fuel cars starting in 2030
9. Homeric epic Down
10. WWII conference site *1. New playful plush resident on
the International Space Station
*11. Ethiopian prime minister who
won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 2. Recipe direction
is now fighting an insurrection in 3. Swagger
this province 4. Kind of shark
*13. SpaceX capsule that delivered 5. “The _____,” best picture
four astronauts to the International 12. A kind of television *21. Much-ballyhooed short-form
for 1974 presentation streaming platform, now defunct
Space Station
6. Perturb 14. Was up against *22. Political crisis in this South
*15. Type of racing animal that
recently sold for $1.9 million 7. Not-so-childlike pirate 16. Driving force American country gave it three
captain presidents in one week
18. News office or clothes holder 17. Formerly Bombay
19. Overthrow, e.g.
Sudoku difficulty:  Questions? Comments?

Contact us at sudoku@csmonitor.com or
crossword@csmonitor.com.
Crossword and Sudoku

solutions
How to do Sudoku
Fill in the grid so the
numbers 1 through
9 appear just once in
each column, row, and
three-by-three block.

ARTS Culture: Diverse audiences look for authenticity on TV
Film: Werner Herzog explores enduring appeal of meteors
36
38
AND Books: Top comic minds collaborate on a book of cartoons 39
CULTURE In Pictures: Kashmiri textile artists weave treasured shawls 41
Destined for greatness

British Ambassador to Norway Richard Wood (left) and Oslo
Mayor Marianne Borgen help saw the Norwegian tree that will
be placed in London’s Trafalgar Square, on Nov. 17, 2020. The
tree commemorates Londoners’ help during World War II.
HAKON MOSVOLD LARSEN/NTB/REUTERS

ARTS AND CULTURE
“ONE DAY AT A TIME”: The reboot of the 1970s

sitcom from Norman Lear stars (left to right) Isa-
bella Gómez, Justina Machado, and Marcel Ruiz.
amount of FM radio stations,” says Carolyn

Byerly, chair of the communication, culture,
and media studies department at Howard
University in Washington, D.C. “It’s not
sexy ... to look at things like finance and
ownership and policy, but that’s really what
determines what you see and hear.”
“Television is still a pretty white world
in many ways,” she adds.
Research suggests that situation is dis-
proportional to who is actually consuming
entertainment, and to the variety of expe-
riences consumers might be hoping to see
reflected. A majority of moviegoers are
people of color, according to the Hollywood
Diversity Report 2020 from the University
of California, Los Angeles. And viewing-
tracker Nielsen reports that African Amer-
icans consume more traditional television
than the rest of the population.
MIKE YARISH/NETFLIX
Popular programs featuring Black and
Latino ensembles also have been increas-
As diversity on TV grows, ing since the 1970s – as have campaigns
to get actors of color more attention, like
viewers crave authenticity #EmmysSoWhite. “The Cosby Show”(1984-

1992), “George Lopez” (2002-2007), and
the “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-
Change is afoot as more of “One Day at a Time,” another 1970s sit- 1996), whose 30-year cast reunion debuted
com about a divorced working mom and on HBO Max in November, are among the
people of color are included her kids. “Your heart gets broken from that pioneers. They offered a path to more recent
in the creative process. again and again when, especially right now, programs like “Black-ish” (ABC), “Insecure”
there’s such a deep starvation for represen- (HBO), “Empire” (Fox), and “Vida” (Starz).
tation of Latino people on television.” “Scripted television has been ahead of
By Rochelle O’Gorman / Correspondent documentaries in terms of telling more
W
hen legendary producer Norman Aligning programs with audience Black stories or the Latin experience, and
Lear created iconic sitcoms in the For Ms. Kellett and others trying to push also telling more economically diverse Black
1970s like “Sanford and Son” and for progress, involvement in the creative stories,” says Steve James, the director and
“The Jeffersons,” American society was process is important in an industry where co-writer of 1994’s award-winning “Hoop
reeling from civil rights protests and polit- writers’ rooms and media ownership are Dreams.” He recently debuted “City So
ical upheaval. Instead of steering clear of largely homogenous. White men own most Real,” a five-part documentary series about
controversy, he added shows with nearly TV stations and “women own about 6% Chicago, on National Geographic.
all-Black casts. of television stations and about the same Hollywood has not capitalized on the fact
Today, in a similar time of enormous pro- that minorities are not a niche audience,
test and division, stories on television – and Mr. James says, and documentarians have
those who tell them – are becoming more “We can feel the artifice. often fallen down that rabbit hole as well.
diverse. While barriers still exist, opportuni- “In the documentary world, there’s a ten-
ties both in front of and behind the camera Your heart gets broken from dency to focus on only desperate and tragic
are improving for Black, Latino, Asian, and that again and again when, stories of people of color because they’re
Indigenous people. One hurdle they hope to dramatic and they’re about social issues and
address is making sure what’s represented especially right now, there’s on and on and on. There’s been a lack of
on the small screen is more authentic. such a deep starvation for attention to the sheer diversity of the com-
“Whenever there are Latino shows on munities of color within those communities
I get excited, and so many people in my representation of Latino themselves.”
community get excited, and then we watch people on television.” “The Cosby Show” was appointment
it and we can feel the artifice,” says writer TV when Tikenya Foster-Singletary, a se-
and producer Gloria Calderón Kellett, who – Gloria Calderón Kellett, nior lecturer in the English department at
Mr. Lear approached to help helm a reboot writer and producer Spelman College in Atlanta, was younger.

ARTS AND CULTURE
The Huxtables were a tightknit, nuclear, FROM MEXICO TO INDIA,

financially comfortable family “and for a SHOWS THAT TRANSPORT YOU
lot of people, that wasn’t real,” she says. “I
didn’t grow up in an affluent family, but I Three new offerings open a window onto
thought there were ways in which the show vibrant cultures and off-the-beaten-path des-
was reflective of my family and seemed real tinations. From a singer’s tour of a region of
to me. There were ways it wasn’t real to Mexico, to matrimony in India, to a food trip
me,” but she and her family watched the through multiple countries, these programs
sitcom every week. will enrich your appreciation for the complex-
ities and beauty of our world.
New content on the way
Newer programs are perhaps taking The hourlong documentary “Linda and the
into account a broader range of experi- Mockingbirds,” streaming on Amazon Prime
ences – and a desire for authenticity. “The Video, travels with singer Linda Ronstadt
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is also slated for and Los Cenzontles (The
a remake. Adapted from the sitcom, the Mockingbirds) back to the
drama “Bel-Air” is expected to arrive on Sonora region of Mexico,
TAHA AHMAD/BBC/LOOKOUT POINT
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming plat- where she performed
form in 2021. Original star Will Smith will decades earlier and her WHOM WILL SHE CHOOSE? Tanya Maniktala
stars as independent-minded Lata Mehra in
be an executive producer. grandfather hailed from.
“A Suitable Boy,” based on Vikram Seth’s novel.
The “One Day at a Time” reboot, which ON TELEVISION She, along with Jackson
Ms. Kellett says is largely based on her Cu- BY ROCHELLE Browne, talks to the found-
ban American family, recently moved from O’GORMAN ers and young performers at the center. Vibrant and energetic in parts,
Netflix to Pop TV. Besides her work on that about the importance of slower and more contemplative in others,
show, she also now has a production deal traditional dance and music – the glue that it follows four families from the late 1940s
with Amazon to create new programming. keeps communities and families together. through the early 1950s, a time of intense
Her goal: to feature cultural representation This joyful and thoughtful trip is punctuated change in India. Mira Nair deftly directed five
that is less stereotypical. Still fresh in her with colorful costumes, clips of Ronstadt’s of the six episodes, but the too-short format
mind are the roles, like sister or girlfriend of previous shows in Mexico, and meaningful results in a disjointed distillation. The series
gang members, she was offered after earn- interviews with the young musicians and likely needed at least six more installments.
ing a master’s degree in theater from the their teachers. Ronstadt, who no longer sings, Still, it’s an impressive venture for what we
University of London. She’s celebrating that instead uses her voice to speak out against do see: a changing world, a clash of cultures
all the shows (a drama, a comedy, and two immigration policies. (Unrated) within borders, women starting to find their
animated programs) will have lead charac- own voices – and introductions to customs,
ters that are Latino, and that she was able “A Suitable Boy,” on Acorn TV, decants traditional lifestyles, and characters that win
to get them all approved so easily. Vikram Seth’s 1,349-page novel down to a us over. (Unrated, but recommended for
“No begging required,” she jokes. r six-hour miniseries with Indian matchmaking mature audiences)
If you enjoyed Anthony Bourdain’s food

and travel programs, you’ll enjoy “Eater’s
Guide to the World,” now streaming on Hulu.
The series includes mouthwatering dishes,
sometimes outré characters, and lots of
travel. Just don’t expect it to break much
new ground. In a world upended by the
coronavirus, we only hear our narrator, Maya
Rudolph, and the lack of interaction between
the host and those making the food comes
off a bit stilted. Still, the cuisine and places
are surprising, including ingredients even
devout foodies should find intriguing. It’s a
little goofy and sometimes a bit off-color, but
the destinations, from Casablanca to Costa
Rica, and Atlanta to Portland, give armchair
travelers an array of options for their bucket
lists. (Unrated, but includes some profanity)
r Rochelle O’Gorman reviews everything from

CHICAGO STORY FILM LLC
audiobooks to TV shows. She lives in the hayloft
“CITY SO REAL”: In the multipart documentary, which debuted in 2020, former mayoral candidate of a barn with her adopted family – daughter,
Amara Enyia holds a press conference featuring Chance the Rapper and Kanye West in Chicago. parrot, and pup.

ARTS AND CULTURE
‘Fireball’ captures how meteors shape our planet

The film probes the passion for film about “visitors from darker worlds,” meteorite hit in 1492, a scant seven days
both bents are necessary. after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean.
things that drop from the sky. The documentary, which debuted on It solidified the realm of Maximilian I
AppleTV+ in November, covers so many because it was taken as a sign that God
“F
ireball: Visitors From Darker geographic locations – from the Yucatán approved of his rule.
Worlds” is an awestruck movie Peninsula to Antarctica – that it also Throughout this cavalcade, Herzog
about awe. A globe-spanning inadvertently functions as a kind of travel displays his trademark dour puckish-
documentary co-directed by Werner guide to the planet’s diversity. ness. When an Indian scientist
Herzog and University of Cambridge The filmmakers explore places suggests that every element in
scientist Clive Oppenheimer, it’s about where meteorites have impacted our bodies was synthesized in
how extraterrestrial rocks have literally the Earth. They seek out where the stars, his mock-indignant
shaped not only the Earth but the culture the fragments have been pre- response quickly follows: “I am
and dreams of its inhabitants. served and studied, monitored, not stardust. I’m Bavarian!” But
Herzog is one of the greatest living and venerated. Inevitably, they he also thrills to the magnified
filmmakers, both for his dramas and doc- encounter a range of people ON FILM stained-glass window-like imag-
umentaries. “Fireball” is his second col- whose passion for what has BY PETER es of micrometeorites, which he
RAINER
laboration with Oppenheimer – the first dropped from the sky is positively calls “the most beautiful sculp-
was 2016’s “Into the Inferno,” about vol- exhilarating. tures on God’s planet.”
canoes. The two men complement each We are taken to the Chicxulub Puerto Perhaps the most excitable of the
other perfectly: Herzog, who provides village in Mexico, where some 66 million film’s interviewees – even more than
the film’s sinuously somnolent voice-over years ago the impact from an asteroid Princeton physicist Paul Steinhardt, who
narration in his best Bavarian tones, has equivalent to thousands of millions of Hi- discovered fivefold symmetry in meteo-
a mystic-rhapsodic temperament, while roshima bombs is thought to have wiped rological quasicrystals – is the planetary
Oppenheimer, who, unlike Herzog, is out the planet’s dinosaurs. In Western scientist Brother Guy Consolmagno, a
often seen on camera, is more like a hard Australia, the Wolfe Creek Crater, the site resident of the Pope’s summer home.
science David Attenborough type. For a of another ancient strike, is holy ground Speaking of the miraculousness of the
for Indigenous peoples. The artist, Kate heavens, he says that “to have the ability
Darkie, who paints bright mythological to understand these things is itself a
panoramas, talks about how families visit miracle.” He goes on: “Looking at the
the crater to feel close to their ancestors. stars gives you that sense of out-of-your-
In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Herzog self that you need in order to be ready to
was able to procure amateur footage of encounter a god.”
Islamic worshippers crowding inside the There is much more, including a
Grand Mosque to touch the black stone vaguely reassuring discussion with a
that many assume is a meteorite and scientist at NASA’s Planetary Defense
which the faithful believe was brought Coordination Office whose job it is to de-
from heaven by the archangel Gabriel. fend the planet against asteroid attacks.
Alsace, in France, is where a gigantic (Talk about first responders!) There’s
also a meeting with Norway’s leading
ROCK AND HOLE: jazz musician, Jon Larsen, whose passion
Evidence of extra- for micrometeorites has led to important
terrestrial rocks on
Earth are found new discoveries. Fingering some cosmic
everywhere from dust, he exclaims, “No human being has
the Wolfe Creek ever touched anything older!”
Crater (photo above) The documentary ends with a sacred
in Western Australia tribal dance performed for the filmmak-
to Antarctica, where ers and inhabitants of tiny Mer Island, lo-
scientist Clive Op-
penheimer (photo cated in an archipelago between Austra-
right) shares a lia and New Guinea. The last image that
meteorite discovery we see are lit torches shooting embers,
in “Fireball: Visitors representing the souls of departed island-
From Darker Worlds.” ers, into the night sky. It’s a transcenden-
tal finale to a transporting film.
APPLE TV+
r Unrated

BOOKS
FOR GLOBAL
READERS
Top comic minds collaborate on a book of cartoons

By Peter Tonguette wife, “Don’t think of it as a
Correspondent cave, think of it as a retire-
W
hich came first, ment community.” Two men
the cartoon or the in business suits stand be-
punch line? fore a building labeled Unit-
The answer is both, at least ed States Mint and ponder
in the case of New Yorker how they can “monetize” it.
cartoonist Harry Bliss and Several cartoons reference
actor-writer Steve Martin. In Woodstock, aiming the col-
an introduction to their mar- lection squarely at baby
velously dry and sly book, “A boomers.
Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon The most memorable
Collection,” Martin writes of panels reflect a durable
being paired with Bliss by tradition in cartooning:
New Yorker editor Françoise the attempt to place one-
Mouly. “I mentioned that self inside the minds of as-
I had a cartoon idea and sorted furry creatures. For
did she know anyone who example, Bliss and Martin
might draw it,” Martin re- imagine two squirrels steal-
calls. Mouly connected him ing a food bowl from a dog
with Bliss. From there began watching them forlornly
what Martin describes as a through a window (“Once
collaboration made in heav- we file off the name, it will
en: “We rarely speak to each be untraceable,” one squir-
other, and we live in different rel says of the name, “Fifi,”
states,” he writes, presumably on the bowl). In their comic
with a touch of his signature universe, a pair of turkeys,
CELADON BOOKS
sarcasm. hoping to dodge Thanks-
At first, Martin dreamed Steve Martin and New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss giving, hide behind a log at
up an idea and then dis- the first whiff of cranberries,
patched it to Bliss to realize serve up gentle mockery in “A Wealth of Pigeons.” and one mischief-making
at the drawing board. At some pup, having destroyed a
point, “Harry began sending me orphan thoughts for his famous dogs than in draw- sofa, tells another pup upon their human
drawings for captions, and we discovered ing the dogs themselves – Bliss and Martin owners returning home, “Quick, act casual.”
we had two ways to work: forwards and have crafted cartoons in which art and text Throughout, Bliss’ draftsmanship is a
backwards.” He explains: “Forwards was are in harmonious balance. source of pleasure itself; the artist is capa-
me conceiving of several cartoon The pair delights in needling ble of conjuring a shotgun-wielding bird in
images and captions, and Harry the pretensions of the upper flight (nature takes its revenge?) and Attila
would select his favorites; back-
HUMOR classes. One panel offers a par- the Hun (renamed “Attila the Honeybunch”
wards was Harry sending me ent and child looking for images as he cradles an infant) with equal facility.
sketched or fully drawn cartoons in the clouds, but their status as Delightfully, Bliss and Martin do not
for dialogue or banners.” sophisticated city dwellers is re- exempt themselves from their rapier wit,
The resulting cartoons are little vealed in the child’s itemization weaving throughout the book occasional
gems of comic perception, with the of what he sees: “I see a horse, a cartoons in which they are the subjects.
pair taking stock of human foibles puppy, and that one looks like a Bliss, who draws Martin perfectly – with
and imagining animal intelligenc- Rauschenberg installation.” Else- a wayward smile and white hair – sends
es with bemusement but never where, a caveman and his wife up his famous colleague when, in a strip
meanness. Perhaps owing to their wait for the maitre d’ to check for chronicling their first meeting, the cartoon
collaborative method, their panels A WEALTH their dinner reservation: “Maybe Martin name-drops Lady Gaga and Keanu
are also unusually balanced. While OF PIGEONS: it’s under ‘Apeman,’” one says. Reeves. “Amazing!” the cartoon Bliss says
many cartoonists exhibit strength A Cartoon Collection The small lies we tell our- in reply. “I once said ‘Hi’ to Ed Begley, Jr.”
either as artists or as caption writ- By Harry Bliss and selves are gently needled in a Perhaps the famous Hollywood type and
ers – for example, the great New Steve Martin cartoon showing a couple row- the nondescript cartoonist make for an odd
Yorker cartoonist James Thurber Celadon Books ing toward an ominous-looking couple, but the fruits of their labor are won-
was arguably better at imagining 272 pp. cave: The husband says to his derfully witty and wise. r

BOOKS
Q&A with Lesley-Ann Jones,

author of ‘The Search for John Lennon’
A shared life but
different memories
The Fab Four had nicknames: the cute one, consider those parts of his personality? By Joan Gaylord / Correspondent
W
the quiet one, the smart one, the funny He hadn’t the best start in life, and fear hat confers identity, and what
one. The brainy Beatle was also dizzyingly was the thing that drove John the most. It gives a sense of belonging? Is it
complex, as demonstrated in “The Search for is very important to reveal him in all his family? Locale? Community?
facets, warts and all, how he compromised In her charming novel “A Lover’s Dis-
John Lennon: The Life, Loves, and Death of a himself horribly to become things he didn’t course,” Xiaolu Guo explores these univer-
Rock Star,” which arrives as fans mark the 40th believe in for the sake of fame and fortune. sal questions through the experiences of a
anniversary of his murder in New York on man and woman who meet and fall in love
Dec. 8, 1980. Monitor correspondent Randy Q: Yoko Ono, Lennon’s second wife, is often despite their considerable differences.
painted as a villain who broke up the Beat- The pair cross paths in London in 2015,
Dotinga spoke with the book’s author, British les. How do you view her? just as Brexit begins to dominate the con-
rock historian Lesley-Ann Jones, about her She was his salvation in so many ways. versation. She has recently moved from
deeply perceptive portrait of this brilliant, For one, she was the ultimate mother- southern China to pursue a graduate degree
troubled, not-always-admirable musician. replacement therapy. She also was a much at a British university. He is a landscape
more enlightened, better-educated person architect who grew up in Australia, though
than John and a trained musician herself. he lived in Germany during his teen years.
Q: What surprised you about John Lennon’s She introduced these more global ideas and Guo skillfully employs the relatively
life? brought him into the 20th century. mundane backdrop to explore loftier themes
I didn’t realize quite how of identity and purpose.
much his songwriting was a Q: How did Lennon redeem These are weighty questions to ponder,
blatant cry for help. He’s al- himself late in life? and it is a credit to Guo’s talent as a writer
ways trying to claw his way He found genuine happi- that this slim volume succeeds so beautiful-
back to his mother. I’ve in- ness as a partner and a fa- ly in addressing them.
terviewed many rock stars, ther. All of his failings with Her prose possesses
and it’s struck me how much his first wife [the late Cynthia qualities of poetry, and FICTION
these guys tend to have in Lennon] and his son Julian are her plot is structured
common. They almost always redeemed with [his second just enough to make
come to music as an escape. son] Sean, although that ob- the story cohesive
They’ve mostly had dysfunc- viously didn’t do Julian much while still managing
tional childhoods with abuse good. But I think Julian also to evoke the ethereal
or abandonment, and there’s has forgiven his father by now quality of memories.
DAVID HOGAN/PEGASUS BOOKS
a massive void that they’re and has come to terms with The story is told
looking to fill in some way. For the book, I the reasons why he was neglected. John in brief chapters that
wanted to approach it from a woman’s and did come full circle and was happy. each begin with a few
a mother’s point of view – bring the small sentences of dialogue
boy John back, see [the world] through a Q: What’s your assessment of Lennon? shared between the
child’s eyes, and try to bring him along with I ended up really loving him. And I’m two lovers. Neither of
me and understand him at every stage. somebody who’s adored Paul McCartney them is ever named. A LOVER’S
ever since I was a child. John found the Following these DISCOURSE
Q: How does the hit Beatles song “Help!” fit thing that I’ve never found, which is the fragments of dialogue, By Xiaolu Guo
into this narrative? one true love. He solved his problems from both the man and Grove Press
He wrote it when he was 24. It was a very the outside inwards by accepting that Yoko woman reflect upon 288 pp.
upbeat, jolly song that we’d dance around was the woman for him. scraps of memories
to. If you really listen to the words – “Help! He did treat his first wife, Cynthia, ter- that reveal how differently they recall events
I need somebody / Help! Not just anybody” ribly badly. But I feel now that he probably in their shared lives.
– he’s crying out to his mum. When I was a didn’t know how else to tell her that the mar- The Brexit vote brings with it a height-
child listening to these very catchy songs, I riage wasn’t working and that he’d found ened awareness of national identity that
had no idea that they were so personal, and someone else. A lot of the time, a man might makes everyone leery of strangers. Guo uses
so multilayered and so full of his own angst, seem to do something mean and spiteful the couple’s struggles as a microcosm of a
trying to work things out, get a handle on because he doesn’t know how to do it any national conversation.
himself, and find out who he was. other way. So I have a lot of sympathy for While Guo asks timely questions about
John. He did learn from women. And we societal divisions, she is not prescriptive
Q: Lennon often comes across as a mean, can understand him most by examining the in her answers. She leaves it to readers to
cruel, and violent person. How should we women in his life. r discern their own truths. r

IN
PICTURES
Woven treasures:
Kashmir’s kani shawls
STORY AND PHOTOS BY BHAT BURHAN / CORRESPONDENT 2

NARAYAN BAGH, GANDERBAL, KASHMIR
I
n 2010, Kashmir-based artisan Mushtaq Ahmad Wani took a big step: He
constructed a new building to expand his business. Since childhood, he
had been creating kani shawls – one of the finely woven textile products
that Kashmir is famous for. During the past decade, he taught his craft to
more than 20 apprentices. It was time to take things to the next level.
Mr. Wani is part of the large community of textile artisans in Kashmir,
where shawl production has a long history. It’s believed that Zain-ul-Abidin,
a sultan who controlled the region in the 15th century, introduced the craft
from Central Asia. Kashmiri artisans have passed their skills down ever since.
Shawls begin as raw wool from the coats of pashmina goats, which are
raised in the Himalayas. The wool is spun into yarn and dyed. Then crafts- 1 CAREFUL WORK: Women weave a shawl on a hanging loom.
people use tuji – small needlelike sticks – on looms to weave the patterns They say that long hours and difficult physical conditions are part
envisioned by naqash, or designers. It’s painstaking work. Most shawls of the job, and they want their children to find different work.
take half a year to complete and cost between $500 and $2,500.
Kashmir’s Directorate of Handicrafts estimates that more than 100,000 2 MANY HUES: Pashmina yarn is stacked for storage. Charkhas,
artisan families depend on the trade for their livelihood. For Mr. Wani, or spinning wheels, were once used to spin wool into yarn. Today,
dedication to the craft is paying off. r they have largely been replaced by machines.

IN PICTURES
3 DEFT HANDS: Women work on a hanging

loom in their house. One kani shawl can take as
long as six months to produce.
4 GROWING PATTERN: Weavers work on a

kani shawl in their workshop. Kashmir has been
famous for its textiles for centuries; kani shawls
became fashionable in Europe in the 1800s.
5 VIBRANT: A Kashmiri weaver shows off a

kani shawl at a home workshop. Most shawls
make their way though a long chain of buyers,
weavers, traders, middlemen, and wholesalers.
6 TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Artisans line up

tuji, the needlelike sticks used in the weaving
process, to prepare for use at a loom. Often,
more than a hundred tuji – each with different
colors of yarn – are used to weave shawls.
7 CHOICES, CHOICES: A shopkeeper displays

a kani shawl to a customer. High-quality shawls
are made from the wool of pashmina goats and
can command prices up to $2,500.
8 LOOM SCHOOL: Apprentice weavers work

in Mushtaq Ahmad Wani’s workshop, where
he has been training artisans for 10 years. They
will be paid between $700 and $1,000 for each
shawl they make.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A photo essay about grass

(Nov. 16, page 42) misidentified the plant
Kochia scoparia. It is a shrubby annual. 8

IN PICTURES

® Registered trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company

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