Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
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page two
Musician became a hero
to Zimbabwe and Africa
makers that they changed the name of
OLIVER MTUKUDZI
1952-2019
the movie to “Neria.”
Nine years later, the same filmmakers
made “Shanda,” a documentary about
BY GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO Mr. Mtukudzi that followed him as he
toured Zimbabwe.
Oliver Mtukudzi, whose singing and gui- Many of his songs urged government
tar playing harnessed influences from leaders as well as everyday people to fo-
across southern Africa to create the cus on the well-being of Zimbabwe’s
most popular musical style in Zimba- children. And Mr. Mtukudzi did make
bwe, died on Jan. 23 in Harare, the na- the occasional veiled political swipe. In
tion’s capital. He was 66. 2001 he released “Wasakara,” whose ti-
The cause was heart failure related to tle translates to “You are worn out,” a
diabetes, said Damon Forbes, a record song widely seen as a plea for Mr. Mu-
label executive and promoter who had gabe to step down.
worked with Mr. Mtukudzi for more “He was a nation builder,” Paul Mang-
than 20 years. wana, a senior Zimbabwean govern-
Starting in the late 1970s, Mr. Mtukud- ment official, told The Associated Press.
zi (pronounced muh-too-KOOD-zie) re- “Where it was necessary to criticize he
corded numerous albums — 67, by his would, and where it was necessary to
count — and became a hero throughout praise he would.”
Africa. The Zimbabwean music journal- Mr. Mtukudzi sought to strengthen
ist Alex T. Magaisa wrote that Mr. his community through deeds as well as
Mtukudzi was “arguably Zimbabwe’s music.
finest ambassador.” For the last 15 years, he ran the
Though an official figure was not Pakare Paye Arts Center, an arts com-
available, conservative estimates sug- plex he founded in 2003 in Norton, a
gest that Mr. Mtukudzi sold millions of town 25 miles west of Harare. With a re-
albums over the past 40 years. cording studio, classrooms and per-
He sang anthems of social lament and formance spaces, it offers young people
timeless wisdom, typically in Shona, a creative and social outlet to combat
Zimbabwe’s predominant language, but unemployment and listlessness.
also in English and Ndebele. His music In 2011 he was named a Unicef re-
pulled from traditional Shona rhythms gional good-will ambassador for eastern
and sounds while incorporating influ- and southern Africa. A year before, he
ences from South Africa’s more cos- had written a song, “Deaf Hear,” in ob-
mopolitan, jazz-inflected mbaqanga tra- servation of Unicef’s Day of the African
dition, as well as African-American Child.
dance music. What resulted — a kind of
soundtrack to Zimbabwean life in the
late 20th century — became known as
its own idiom, called Tuku music, after
BLAKE KESSLER, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Mr. Mtukudzi’s nickname.
Skiing at Alpine Meadows in the Sierra Nevada range of California. Some of the state’s resorts have reported more than seven feet of new snow in the past several days. “I looked for a sound the guitar could-
n’t make, in a guitar‚” he told the South
African publication TshisaLIVE in an in-
terview shortly before his death, re-
Storms are ‘what we live for’ membering his early years. “Profes-
sional guitarists at the time used to
laugh at me. I used to look for a mbira on
the guitar strings,” he said, referring to a
cially if it is heavy and wet — comes the traditional Shona thumb piano. SCOTT GRIES/GETTY IMAGES
Heavy snow in California risk of avalanches. On Tuesday, Squaw In the 1970s, as a member of the band Oliver Mtukudzi in 2002. He sold millions
Valley posted a warning on its website: Wagon Wheels, he played alongside the of albums over the past 40 years.
has brought much-needed “Our 4-day storm total is now over 6 singer Thomas Mapfumo, who would
relief to state’s ski resorts feet! Avalanche conditions exist, please become the only other Zimbabwean mu-
check lift status.” Squaw Valley has re- sician with a reputation to rival his. Mr. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of
BY LAURA M. HOLSON ported 341 inches of snow this season, Mapfumo left the country in the 1990s Zimbabwe acknowledged Mr. Mtukud-
while its sister resort, Alpine Meadows, and became well known in the West. Mr. zi’s death in a statement on Twitter. “Oli-
In the past week, California has been has reported 277 inches. Mtukudzi stayed and cemented his sta- ver Mtukudzi,” he wrote, “your voice
pummeled by fierce winter storms that Ron Cohen, the president of Squaw tus as the country’s most renowned mu- has given us comfort during difficult
have wreaked havoc from Sacramento Valley Alpine Meadows resorts, said his sician. times, and will remain with us for pos-
to San Diego. Flash floods have dam- company had recently installed addi- His popularity in Zimbabwe reflects terity.”
aged an already fragile landscape, as tional Gazex avalanche control systems, the fact that in a country bitterly divided Oliver Dairai Mtukudzi was born on
near hurricane-force winds downed which set off controlled slides while a by political allegiances, he positioned Sept. 22, 1952, in Highfield, a dense, im-
power lines along the coast. Mountain slope is closed so that larger, more de- himself as a unifier. While Mr. Mapfumo poverished neighborhood of Harare.
highways were closed because of bliz- structive avalanches are less likely took a strong political stance in his mu- (The city was officially known as Salis-
zard conditions, and the National when skiers are navigating the terrain. sic — pioneering a genre known as bury at the time; what would eventually
Weather Service warned about ava- (An explosion using Gazex is triggered chimurenga (“revolutionary struggle become Zimbabwe was then the British
lanches in the eastern Sierra Nevada using a mixture of oxygen and propane.) music” in Shona) before the fall of white colony of Southern Rhodesia.) His par-
range. He said they were safer than other ex- minority rule, then vigorously criticiz- ents had met after singing in a choir
But for the state’s ski resorts, it’s look- plosive devices used to control ava- ing Robert Mugabe, who ruled the coun- group, and when he was a child, they en-
ing a lot like a boom time. At the Squaw lanches. Some residents have com- try from 1980 to 2017 — Mr. Mtukudzi couraged his musical interests.
Valley resort near Lake Tahoe, attend- PETER MORNING/MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS plained about the noise. generally avoided taking a political side. His father died just as Oliver was en-
ance is up 25 percent compared with last Vehicles buried under snow at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. The Mammoth ski area said it “You can never eliminate the risk en- He sang at events for the ruling tering adulthood, and to support his
year, according to executives there. In had record guest attendance at its lodges in December and January. tirely,” he said. ZANU-PF party, as well as at the wed- family he took a job at a bookstore. But
Central California, Mammoth Mountain While the ski industry has long ner- ding and funeral of the opposition leader he filled every idle moment practicing
Ski Area said it had record guest attend- vously watched global warming, Mr. Co- Morgan Tsvangirai. on the guitar that a musician had given
ance at its lodges in December and Jan- Tim Bardsley, a hydrologist with the hen said he could not attribute the But his songs boldly told the stories of him after noticing his preternatural abil-
uary, and was on pace for another month The winter storms have Weather Service, said increased snow swings in California’s weather to climate his community, and he made no effort to ity.
of gains. arrived after a long period and rain would increase the state’s wa- change. avoid social issues. Throughout his career, Mr. Mtukudzi
To be fair, last year wasn’t the best for of drought that often left ter supply. A cross-country skier, he said Still, he added, “Climate change has a Perhaps his biggest hit was “Todii,” a kept his family and his work entwined.
California skiers. But after a long period the conditions had been great so far. role in broad weather changes.” cautionary song about the perils of His brother, Robert, was his keyboard
of drought that has often left slopes
ski slopes bare. “The back country has been more Gale-force winds forced many Califor- H.I.V. from the 1997 album “Tuku Mu- player until he died in 1992. His daugh-
bare, with occasional years of heavy variable,” he said. “But there has been a nia resorts to close temporarily in the sic.” Powered by a melancholy chorus of ters often sang background vocals and
snow, the waves of storms that have It’s a little scary outside. You can feel the lot of powder, which is pretty fabulous.” early part of the week. “You can’t oper- background singers and the gravelly la- helped him compose. His initial plan in
swept across the state in recent weeks intensity of the weather.” Of course, getting there can be a chal- ate the chairlifts,” Mr. Albright said. ment of Mr. Mtukudzi’s lead vocal, it Norton was for his son, Samson, also a
are a welcome respite. Some resorts Snowpack from Oct. 1 to Feb. 5 is up lenge. Mike Goar, the vice president and Still, he said, Mammoth had been for- warned listeners of the virus that by successful musician, to run the Pakare
have reported more than seven feet of about 134 percent from normal levels in chief operating officer at Heavenly tunate that the storms had mostly ar- then had infected a quarter of Zimba- Paye center, but Samson died in a car ac-
new snow over the past several days, the Tahoe area and throughout the Si- Mountain Resort, near Lake Tahoe, rec- rived during the middle of the week, bwe’s population. cident in 2010.
with more winter storms forecast for the erra, according to officials at the Na- ommended that skiers check road up- making way for weekend skiers. “They Another popular song, “Neria,” from Mr. Mtukudzi’s survivors include his
weekend. tional Weather Service office in Reno, dates before driving into the mountains. hear the hype on the Weather Channel, 1993, told of a woman thrown into pov- wife, Daisy; his daughters, Sandra
“This is what we live for,” said Craig Nev. While that’s less than the record set This week, 100 miles of Interstate 80, the see it on the news,” he said. erty by a law that kept her from inher- Mtukudzi, Samantha Mtukudzi and Sel-
Albright, the senior director of skier two years ago, when winter storms rav- main artery through the Sierra, was “People have dreams of powder,” Mr. iting her husband’s property. Written as mor Manatsa; and three sisters. An ear-
services at Mammoth Mountain. “It aged the West Coast, it is still welcome closed because of whiteout conditions. Albright added, laughing. “But when part of Mr. Mtukudzi’s soundtrack for a lier marriage, to Melody Mtukudzi,
kind of is our Super Bowl. It’s intense. news for ski resorts. And with the new fallen snow — espe- they get stuck, it’s not so pleasant.” feature film, it so impressed the film- ended in divorce.
World
Abuse of nuns emerges from the shadows
cried the reporting of abuse as “dis-
ROME
loyal.”
Among the private reports by nuns in
the 1990s, which were published in a
Pope’s acknowledgment cover story by The National Catholic Re-
porter in 2001, one asserted that 29 nuns
comes after decades of had become pregnant in one order
seeming inaction on claims alone.
Professor Demasure said there are
BY JASON HOROWITZ firsthand testimonies about such abor-
tions, which would break one of the cen-
The sexual abuse of nuns and religious tral tenets of church teaching and poten-
women by Catholic priests and bishops tially violate local laws, but she said
— and the abortions that have some- there was no data about how wide-
times resulted — has for years been spread they are.
overshadowed by other scandals in the But the problem has clearly not gone
Roman Catholic Church. away.
That seemed to change this week In 2013, the Rev. Anthony Musaala, a
when Pope Francis publicly acknowl- priest in Kampala, Uganda, was sus-
edged the problem for the first time. pended and forced to apologize for rais-
“I was so happy,” said Lucetta Scaraf- ing concerns about his fellow priests’
fia, the author of an article denouncing engaging in sexual relationships with
the abuse of nuns and religious lay wom- women, including nuns.
en by priests that was published this
month in a magazine, Women Church
World, which is distributed alongside “Now many women will have
the Vatican’s newspaper. the courage to come forward.”
Speaking from her Rome apartment,
which she said had essentially been con-
verted into a television studio full of in- In India, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of
ternational reporters, Ms. Scaraffia Jalandhar currently faces charges for
said, “Finally, now many women will repeatedly raping a former mother su-
have the courage to come forward and perior of a congregation. While he has
denounce their abusers.” denied the charges, more than 80 nuns
The pope’s remarks on Tuesday, in re- signed a letter in July urging that he be
sponse to a question posed on the papal removed from pastoral work.
plane about Ms. Scaraffia’s article, came Ms. Scaraffia said the abuse of nuns
after decades of persistent allegations of occurs “not only” in the developing
such abuses, and seeming Vatican inac- world.
tion, which has now collided with the ‘‘It’s all over,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s in Eu-
heightened awareness of the #MeToo rope.”
era. They also came just ahead of an ex- An investigation last summer by
traordinary conference of bishops on Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
sexual abuse scheduled this month at reporter who asked the pope the ques-
the Vatican. tion about abuse on the papal plane, doc-
But it was the pope’s dramatic, and ac- VINCENZO PINTO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES umented abuse on at least four different
cording to the Vatican on Wednesday, in- Pope Francis meeting with nuns at the Vatican last year. On Tuesday, the pope said “there have been priests and bishops” who have committed sexual abuse against nuns. continents.
accurate, description of one example of In November, the International Union
such abuse as “sexual slavery” that of Superiors General, or U.I.S.G., the or-
most caught the world’s attention. apparently did not involve nuns. Francis more participation by women in lay Often, the abuse occurs in a relation- just as bishops have done with pe- ganization representing the world’s fe-
“When the Holy Father, referring to recounted that Benedict, then known as leadership positions inside the church. ship of spiritual guidance, Professor De- dophile priests. male Catholic religious orders, pub-
the dissolving of a congregation, spoke Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the church’s “We feel a little disappointed that it masure said, with the priest grooming “I’m afraid that’s a similar thing,” she lished an extraordinary statement that
of ‘sexual slavery’ he meant ‘manipula- doctrinal watchdog, had marshaled all has to be the media who has to press the the victim over time, as is often the case said. called on religious women who have suf-
tion,’” the pope’s spokesman, Alessan- his evidence against the complicit order church and the pope to comment,” she in cases of child sexual abuse. So is the failure to heed alarm bells. fered abuse to come forward and report
dro Gisotti, clarified in a statement to re- in a meeting with Pope John Paul II. added. The apparent preponderance of such As far back as the 1990s, members of it to the church and state authorities.
porters on Wednesday. Francis said Benedict had returned de- Experts say there is no shortage of abuse in Africa and India has led some religious orders prepared private re- “If the U.I.S.G. receives a report of
Advocates of abused nuns were re- feated and told his secretary, “The other factors contributing to the abuse, its in the church to chalk up the abuse to ports on the issue for top Vatican offi- abuse, we will be a listening presence,”
lieved that the pope had at last put the side won.” Francis added in an aside, cover-up and the lack of action inside cultural differences. cials. the statement said.
issue on the church’s radar. But they also “We should not be scandalized by this — the Vatican. In many cases, sexual favors have In 1994, Sister Maura O’Donohue sent “We condemn those who support the
noted that it had been a long time com- it’s part of a process.” Karlijn Demasure, the former execu- been required of nuns who are finan- the Vatican the results of a multiyear, 23- culture of silence and secrecy, often un-
ing and that the pope’s other remarks His point seemed to be that pursuing tive director of the church’s Center for cially dependent on priests, and tradi- nation survey about such abuse, which der the guise of ‘protection’ of an institu-
Tuesday did not inspire confidence in a justice in the church takes time and he Child Protection at the Pontifical Grego- tions of subservience by women make was especially rampant in Africa where tion’s reputation or naming it ‘part of
speedy solution. said that when Benedict became pope, rian University, where she is a professor them vulnerable to abuse. nuns were considered safe sexual part- one’s culture,’” it added.
In his typically free-associating riff, he immediately told his secretary to get and expert in the sexual abuse of minors Ms. Scaraffia said she subscribed to ners for priests who feared infection by In December, the Vatican began in-
Francis acknowledged that “there have him the files “and he began.” and vulnerable adults, said there is no the pope’s critique of abuse, that it is H.I.V. vestigating the Institute of the Good Sa-
been priests and bishops” who have But his example confounded advo- data on how widespread the problem is. rooted in a rot in clerical culture that One 1998 report focused on Africa ob- maritan, a small Chilean religious order
committed sexual abuse against nuns cates of nuns abused by priests, who But, she added, anecdotal evidence sug- leads priests to believe they are a higher served that “sexual harassment and of nuns, after Chilean national television
and that “it’s continuing because it’s not noted that the pope is the single person gests “it’s not exceptional.” authority and thus entitled to do what even rape of sisters by priests and bish- revealed that some sisters had been
like once you realize it that it stops.” He within the church with absolute author- Many members of the church, experts they want with their parishioners. In de- ops is allegedly common.” thrown out after reporting sexual abuse
said the church needed to do more. ity to take action at any time. said, suffer from a medieval mind-set veloping countries, where the abuse of “When a sister becomes pregnant, the by priests and maltreatment by their su-
But while attempting to show that his “I was wondering when he said they and consider the priests who commit nuns seems more prevalent, priests priest insists that she have an abortion,’’ perior.
predecessor, Benedict XVI, had taken were dealing with the problem for a long abuse against nuns to be the victims of tend to be put on even higher pedestals. the report added. ‘‘The sister is usually Ms. Scaraffia, getting ready for her
tough action on the issue of sexual abuse time, because we just don’t know what seductive temptresses. Since the vic- Professor Demasure said there is also dismissed from her congregation while next interview in Rome, said she sensed
against nuns, he recalled a separate those actions are,” said Zuzanna tims in these cases are adults, the ex- the delicate issue that female superiors the priest is often only moved to another momentum and was confident now that
case of a religious order marred by sex- Flisowska, the general manager of perts say, there is also a reflexive tend- have covered up the abuse of their nuns parish — or sent for studies.” “the pope understands the problem.”
ual and economic corruption, but that Voices of Faith, a group advocating for ency to blame them. to protect the reputation of the church, African bishops briefed at the time de- She added, “This is surely the first step.”
hero with alcohol?” one critic, U Tin Mg General Aung San, a Burmese independence hero, was assassinated inside the building
Htut, asked in a Facebook post. “Such a in 1947. His daughter Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is now the de facto leader of Myanmar.
shame that this historic place is turning
into a bar.”
U Kyaw Zay Ya, a member of Parlia- Art Group were related to Gen. Tun Kyi pating because we want to promote our
ment from Yangon, the former capital by marriage. brand,” said Khaing Nyein Mo, a spokes-
and Myanmar’s biggest city, said he un- Critics of the upcoming Nightfest in- woman for The Hard Rock Cafe Yangon.
derstood that the bazaar was a business clude Daw Moe Moe Lwin, the director “I don’t think the event will be unruly, as
venture. “But we can’t replace that and vice chairwoman of the Yangon people are suggesting on social media,
money if we lose the cultural and his- Heritage Trust, one of the groups that because it’s not a free event.”
toric value of the place,” he said. YE AUNG THU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES has been racing to save Myanmar’s co- Eye Cheint Cheint Chu, the marketing
The United States Department of Ag- A night bazaar promoting ties between Myanmar and the United States is scheduled to take place outside the Secretariat in Yangon. lonial-era landmarks from the ravages manager for Krispy Kreme Myanmar,
riculture had been identified as a spon- of time and a tropical climate. said she was aware of the criticism.
sor of the event, but the American Em- The Secretariat “is regarded as being “As our Krispy Kreme is an American
bassy in Yangon said in an email that the event would go ahead as planned on The Secretariat, whose main building was shot in the Secretariat’s Cabinet associated with nationwide mourning, franchise brand, we will participate in
United States government had played Feb. 11 and 12. was completed in 1892, was the seat of Room along with eight other people. commemorating independence strug- Nightfest at the Secretariat because the
no role in planning or funding it. The em- Signature Night Market said that the government during the country’s Gen. Aung San’s daughter Daw Aung gles and remembering selfless efforts of event’s purpose is to exchange U.S. and
bassy said the department’s office in event, known as Nightfest, would be British colonial period and for decades San Suu Kyi is a Nobel Peace Prize lau- our national leaders,” Ms. Moe Moe Myanmar culture,” she said.
Yangon had merely agreed to “facilitate held outdoors in the Secretariat’s com- after the country, then known as Burma, reate and Myanmar’s current state Lwin said in an email on Tuesday. “For Others said they were looking for-
connections between the event planner pound, not inside the building, and that gained independence in 1948. counselor, the country’s de facto leader. the general public it could be acceptable ward to the party.
and restaurants and importers that security personnel would not allow The building survived a World War II Myanmar still commemorates the as- to use for art and cultural plus some Ei Thinzar Maung, 24, said she was
serve and sell American foods.” guests to become “unruly” as a result of bombing of the city but has been unoc- sassination with a holiday known as business-related activities, but not for excited for the night bazaar because the
“We recognize the Secretariat’s sig- drinking too much alcohol. cupied since 2005, when Myanmar’s Martyrs’ Day. The Secretariat has been fun-related events, such as concerts.” tickets, which cost about $3 for locals,
nificance in Myanmar’s history,” Aryani Daw Ngu K Khaing, the chief opera- military government moved the capital opened to the public on Martyrs’ Day ev- She added that the entire site had her- were affordable. “I don’t mind if it’s in
Manring, a spokeswoman at the embas- tions officer for the Anawmar Art from Yangon, formerly Rangoon, to ery year since 2014, but has otherwise itage value, including its middle court- the Secretariat,” she added. “It’ll be nice
sy, said in an email. “It is of course for Group, which has been renovating the Naypyidaw. remained largely closed. yard, where annual memorial ceremo- to see the place at night.”
the people of Myanmar to determine Secretariat into an art museum, de- For many people in Myanmar, the In 2015, criticism swirled on social nies are held. R. Zarni, a Burmese singer who is
how they wish to see the Secretariat clined to comment on the criticism of the Secretariat will forever be associated media after the daughter of Lt. Gen. Tun On Tuesday, two American brands scheduled to perform at the event, said
used.” bazaar. with the July 19, 1947, assassination of Kyi, a onetime junta member, hosted a with outlets in Myanmar defended their that his wife had accepted his invitation
The embassy referred further ques- She said the event’s purpose was to General Aung San, the elected leader of party in the Secretariat’s courtyard. The participation in Nightfest. on his behalf and that he had been too
tions to the event’s organizer, Signature attract tourists, exchange culture and an interim government responsible for Irrawaddy, a news site, reported at the “This is just an American-Myanmar busy to notice the criticism.
Night Market, which said the two-day food, and enjoy the Secretariat at night. drafting the country’s Constitution. He time that the owners of the Anawmar cultural exchange, and we are partici- “I just focus on singing,” he said.
..
4 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
world
Plasma
recalled in
Xi tested by restless workers
CHINA, FROM PAGE 1
drivers stop delivering goods, construc-
China over tion workers stop building infrastruc-
ture, it will be hard to chase dreams,”
said Diana Fu, an assistant professor of
treatment, according to the state news putes for its more than 300 million mem- Assembling a sport utility vehicle in Zhejiang Province, China. Since Mao, the country’s Communist Party has staked its reputation on protecting workers.
media. Officials did not say how many bers but often sides with management.
patients had been treated with the blood He has also dismantled nonprofit labor
plasma. advocacy groups, which in the past pro- The authorities have repeatedly tried
The presence of H.I.V. antibodies in vided advice to workers and helped with to quash the protests, leading to the dis-
the treatment was first detected by the collective bargaining. appearances and detentions of more
Jiangxi Provincial Center for Disease In a crackdown in Shenzhen in late than 50 people associated with the cam-
Control and Prevention, in southeast January, the authorities detained five paign.
China. A representative of the prov- veteran labor rights advocates and ac- The authorities have responded so
ince’s health commission told The Bei- cused them of “disturbing public order,” forcefully to the young communists in
jing News on Wednesday that, so far, no a vague charge the party often uses part because their demands are ideolog-
patients had been found to have been in- against its critics. ical, not material, said Professor Fu,
fected with H.I.V. as a result of the treat- Now, with no independent unions, who has studied unrest in China.
ment. courts or news outlets to turn to, some “To the government, calling out the
Shanghai Xinxing is a subsidiary of workers are resorting to extreme meas- party for not being Marxist is like chil-
the China Meheco Group, a pharmaceu- ures to settle disputes. dren openly denouncing their birth par-
tical company based in Beijing whose Wang Xiao, 33, a construction worker, ents,” she said. “It is seen as outright de-
controlling shareholder is the China grew tired of lobbying his bosses for fiance and rejection of the state-led so-
General Technology Group, a state- more than $2,000 in unpaid wages for a cialism.”
owned company directly administered project in the eastern province of Shan- But most workers are less focused on
by the central government. dong. So last week he turned to social challenging the party than they are on
media, threatening to jump off the head- trying to make ends meet.
quarters of the company overseeing the Song Zuhe, 50, who packages ceramic
project. tile at a factory in southern China, says
“If I get to the roof of the building and he is owed $1,500 in back pay and has
make a scene, then the money will be not received a paycheck in three
given to me more quickly,” he said in an months.
interview. (Mr. Wang did not carry out Mr. Song worries that he will not be
his threat.) able to pay medical bills for his wife or
Despite the restrictions, activists support his son. He recently posted on
have had some success in organizing social media a poem he had written
protests across provincial lines, often about his predicament:
with the help of social media. Crane op-
erators across China coordinated a La- Work is hard and work is exhausting,
DAVID GRAY/REUTERS bor Day strike last year that involved I don’t have money to pay my way
Taking blood to test for H.I.V. in Beijing. tens of thousands of workers from at SUE-LIN WONG/REUTERS home,
So far, no H.I.V. infection has been linked least 10 provinces. Demonstrators holding banners in support of factory workers in front of a police station in Shenzhen, China, last year. My life as a laborer is bitter.
to the potentially tainted blood plasma. But at a time of economic uncertainty
and rising tensions with the West, Mr. Xi This year, when Mr. Song returned to
has emphasized social stability above said the country’s leaders were “taking of the military crackdown on pro-de- The activists have used the teachings his hometown in southwestern China to
The investigation into Shanghai Xinx- all else. At a meeting on “risk preven- a much more stringent approach to mocracy protesters on Tiananmen of Mao and Marx to argue that China’s celebrate Lunar New Year with his fam-
ing comes at a delicate time for the rul- tion” last month, he called on provincial making sure that large-scale protests Square. embrace of capitalism has exploited ily, they sat down to a small dinner of
ing Communist Party, which is already leaders and senior officials to redouble don’t happen again.” Mr. Xi has particularly sought to sup- workers. Last summer, they tried to chicken and vegetables.
seeking to minimize the destabilizing ef- efforts to expand ideological and social Chinese leaders see labor unrest as a press a resurgence of labor activism on help workers in southern China orga- “My burden is heavy,” he said. “It’s
fects of a nationwide economic slow- control. potential political threat and are partic- college campuses, including a high-pro- nize an independent labor union, saying very tough.”
down. Geoffrey Crothall, the communica- ularly sensitive to demonstrations be- file campaign for workers’ rights led by that corrupt local officials were collud-
It also represents a setback to Presi- tions director for China Labour Bulletin, cause this year is the 30th anniversary young communists at elite universities. ing with managers to abuse workers. Albee Zhang contributed research.
dent Xi Jinping’s efforts to restore confi-
dence in China’s pharmaceutical indus-
try at a time when the country is push-
ing to play a bigger role in the global
drug industry.
Last month, hundreds of angry par-
ents protested against local government
How a name change paved Macedonia’s path to NATO
officials in a town in eastern China when BY UNA HAJDARI on Foreign Relations. “They get a secu- WHAT TURNED THE TIDE?
it was revealed that more than 100 chil- rity guarantee that helps them with Following an electoral victory by an
dren had received expired polio vac- The days of the Republic of Macedonia long-term stability, and it affects the anti-Gruevski coalition in December
cines. are numbered. way other countries look at them.” 2016, its leading party, the center-left So-
Months earlier, hundreds of thou- On Wednesday, the small southeast A bigger prize often follows. Member- cial Democratic Union of Macedonia,
sands of children across China were re- European nation was formally invited to ship in the military alliance has often promised to usher in a new era for Mace-
portedly injected with faulty vaccines join NATO. To enter the military alli- gone hand-in-hand with entry into the donian politics.
for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping ance, the country, at the insistence of its political and economic alliance of the In June 2018, the Macedonian prime
cough. neighbor Greece, agreed to change its European Union. Under a process minister, Zoran Zaev, met with his Greek
After protests by parents, the govern- name to the Republic of North Macedo- known as Euro-Atlantic integration, counterpart, Alexis Tsipras, on the
ment imposed a record fine of $1.3 billion nia. countries have undertaken extensive banks of a lake that is shared by the two
on the vaccine maker, Changchun While the modification may seem mi- changes before joining both organiza- countries. Under an agreement signed
Changsheng Biotechnology. nor, it followed years of confrontations tions. by the foreign ministers of the two coun-
But despite years of food and medi- between Macedonia and Greece, a “This really is a big moment,” said tries, the specifics of the name change
cine scandals, relatively few people NATO member that had used its veto Stevo Pendarovski, a Macedonian offi- were laid out.
have been charged with crimes, fueling power to keep its northern neighbor cial who is the coordinator of the coun- Macedonia held a referendum on the
frustrations among the public and criti- from joining the alliance. Greece, which try’s NATO accession efforts. “We have issue in September. While the name
cism that the government has not done has a northern territory also called been waiting for 20 years; Macedonia change was supported by a majority of
enough to clean up the industry and en- Macedonia, saw the country’s use of the has been a candidate since 1999.” those who voted, turnout did not reach
force regulations. name as a historical affront. Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonia’s foreign the required level of 50 percent to make
The National Medical Products Ad- Macedonia’s path toward NATO is a minister, said NATO membership would it valid. The Macedonian Parliament
ministration released a statement on setback for Russia, which has tried to as- place the country in “a zone of stability ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES took up the question and voted in sup-
Wednesday declaring that although the sert itself after having lost sway in East- in a region that still has pockets of un- A demonstration last year in Skopje, the Macedonian capital, against renaming the port of the change last month. The
investigation was continuing, prelimi- ern and Central Europe following the certainty.” country the Republic of North Macedonia to mollify Greece and thus join NATO. Greek Parliament granted its approval
nary results showed that the blood prod- fall of Communism. The Kremlin is espe- “Macedonia can be the precedent for two weeks ago in a vote that nearly top-
ucts in question had tested negative for cially concerned about the Balkans, a re- how issues should be resolved in the rest pled the Tsipras government.
H.I.V. and the hepatitis B and hepatitis C gion it still considers within its historical of the Balkans,” Mr. Dimitrov said. donia, or Fyrom. While the name made means to shore up right-wing populist On Wednesday, Macedonian officials
viruses. sphere of influence. the country’s provenance clear, it did not support. In the years that followed, re- were in Brussels to witness the signing
Though the reports about the poten- The emotionally charged series of HOW DID THIS ALL START? entirely resolve the issue, since Macedo- forms stagnated in Macedonia, a coun- of the so-called NATO accession proto-
tially tainted treatment emerged during events, which included an inconclusive The name hasn’t always been a major nia did not refer to itself internally as Fy- try of about two million people that is col, which was signed by all 29 members
the annual Lunar New Year celebra- national referendum in Macedonia and point of contention with Greece. While rom. Greece accused it of appropriating one of Europe’s poorest. and will now be sent to the countries’
tions, when large swaths of the country months of protests in Greece, has left a the dispute dates at least to the first Greek symbols and cultural identifiers, Mr. Gruevski’s government began a legislatures for approval, a process that
typically grind to a halt, the news did not trail of questions. Why is the name such Balkan wars of the 1910s, it receded for such as the Vergina Star — a similar im- major infrastructure project, known as could be finished by the end of the year.
go unnoticed. a delicate issue? And why is NATO most of the 20th century, when Macedo- age appears on the current Macedonian Skopje 2014, filling the capital with mon- Greece offered to be the first to pro-
“The cleanup is always fast, pretty membership so appealing that a coun- nia was part of Yugoslavia. Since it was flag. uments to heroes such as Alexander the ceed with ratification, and is expected to
soon they’ll say injecting this product is try would change its identity, at least an entity of another country, Greece NATO made an overture to Macedo- Great, meant to pacify those who felt do so on Friday. Officials in Macedonia
good for your health,” Cui Yongyuan, a formally, to get in? made few objections to its use of the nia in 2008, but Greece blocked the they were being bullied out of their iden- have said they would consider Greek
Chinese television host and producer, name at the time. move. “It was a crushing defeat,” Mr. tity by Greece. ratification to be the formal entry into
wrote on the microblogging site Sina WHAT WILL MACEDONIA GAIN? The difficulties flared when Yugoslav- Pendarovski said. “Polls at the time sug- In 2016, the country was gripped by force of the protocol, and the country is
Weibo. For most formerly socialist countries in ia disintegrated and Macedonia de- gested that about 85 percent of the popu- monthslong protests over a corruption expected to begin using the new name
“Tainted milk powder, no problem. Eastern Europe, joining NATO has sig- clared its independence in 1991, as well lation wanted to join, an extraordinary scandal involving suspect pardons and once that happens.
Tainted vaccines, no problem. Tainted naled their entry into the club of West- as its intention of joining international consensus.” favors for loyalists. Protesters swung The agreement stipulates that Mace-
inoculations, no problem,” he added. “In ern, developed nations. organizations that included Greece. The prime minister at the time, Nikola paint at the various monuments and lav- donia must change plaques on govern-
short, if a few people die, no problem.” “Accession is good for countries like Macedonia entered the United Na- Gruevski, from the conservative ish new government offices built by Mr. ment institutions and reword every offi-
Macedonia,” said Jeremy Shapiro, re- tions in 1993 under a provisional name, VMRO-DPMNE party, used the disap- Gruevski, in what came to be known as cial document that has ever contained
Claire Fu contributed research. search director at the European Council the Former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- pointment over the name issue as a the Colorful Revolution. the words “Republic of Macedonia.”
..
THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 | 5
world
Refreshing a blueprint
to cast socialists as villains
TRUMP, FROM PAGE 1 “From a political standpoint, he is de-
cil of Economic Advisers, “The Opportu- fending free enterprise, free markets
nity Costs of Socialism,” did not pre- and freedom,” said Greg Mueller, a con-
scribe any action but was meant to servative strategist. “They want to take
serve as a warning about the destruc- the country toward socialism, and their
tive economic policies that Mr. Trump party is divided on that, and there is a
believes Democrats would inflict on the major fight in their party over whether
United States. to be a socialist party.”
Policies like tuition-free college were “This is a great debate for Trump to
mentioned in the same ominous tone as define in 2019 and the 2020 campaign,”
the atrocities committed by Vladimir he added.
Lenin and Mao Zedong. The report sug- Republicans, with limited success,
gested that Democratic policies emulat- tried at times to label President Barack
ing Venezuela would cause the Ameri- Obama a socialist, particularly for his
can economy to shrink 40 percent, just call for higher taxes on the wealthy, Mr.
as Mr. Trump did on Tuesday night. Kazin said, noting that this effort co-
Yet there is no evidence of any grow- incided with a shift in public opinion
ing public angst about socialism sweep- where Americans viewed socialism
ing the United States. As a political phi- more favorably.
losophy and organizing tool, it took mod- But a Gallup poll in August showed
est root in the country in the late 19th that Democrats had a more positive
and early 20th centuries, but it never view of socialism than they did of capi-
gained widespread appeal. Eugene V. talism, 57 percent to 47 percent. Their
Debs, a labor leader from Terre Haute, view has been relatively stable since
Ind., was a five-time candidate for presi- 2010, but attitudes toward capitalism
dent, never to great effect, peaking at 6 have become more negative, coinciding
percent of the vote in 1916. with the financial crisis that fueled ani-
mus toward the large banks and invest-
ment firms blamed for the economic
The supposed threat of creeping devastation.
socialism in the Democratic Party Among Americans ages 18 to 29, the
has become a favorite talking Gallup poll found, 51 percent were pos-
itive about socialism while 45 percent
point for some conservatives. viewed capitalism favorably. Gallup
noted there was a marked, 12-point de-
“You really have not had a self-con- cline in younger adults’ views on capi-
sciously socialist movement of any size talism in just two years. EMILY KASK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
and influence since the 1930s,” said Mi- “Every single policy proposal that we Ferdinando Galeana, right, glancing at the television coverage of the State of the Union address at D’Poly Taco Grill and Beer, the restaurant he owns in El Centro, Calif.
chael Kazin, a professor of history at have adopted and presented to the
Georgetown University and the author American people has been overwhelm-
of a history of the American left. ingly popular,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told
“Clearly this is an attempt to portray
Democrats as too radical for Americans
and to connect them to Venezuela,
which is of course a clever thing do,
MSNBC late Tuesday. And she dis-
missed Mr. Trump’s criticism. “He feels
himself losing on the issues,” she said,
and now must engage in ad hominem at-
Trump’s warnings ‘make me laugh’
since Venezuela is falling apart under an tacks. ment, protect our homeland, and secure his family decorated with the idea of “He lies. @POTUS is once again lying
EL CENTRO, CALIF.
ostensibly socialist government.” But it was no accident that Mr. Trump our very dangerous southern border.” showcasing Mexican culture in a mod- and using the #SOTU address to spread
But the supposed threat of creeping chose to introduce the socialist menace On a busy Tuesday night at D’Poly, pa- ern setting, a concept that “so often is falsehoods about our beloved city of El
socialism — and the dangers posed by in perhaps the highest-profile setting trons occasionally glanced at the screen lost” in Mexican restaurants in favor of Paso,” Representative Veronica Esco-
someone like Ms. Ocasio-Cortez — has available to a president as the first step Border residents shrug that played the president’s address to stereotypical décor like sombreros. bar, a Democrat who represents El Paso,
become a favorite talking point for con- in trying to paint Democrats as too far the nation. Most paid it no mind at all. “Our idea was to show that Mexico is said on Twitter.
servatives like the TV personality Sean left, just as they start to engage in a pres-
at president’s portrayal of Mr. Galeana and others said they had not just what the stereotypes say: It’s so A fact check by The El Paso Times on
Hannity of Fox News, who tells his view- idential nominating process that will towns as ‘very dangerous’ largely tuned out what the president has much more,” he said. “We are proud of the matter, prepared in January but cir-
ers that far-left socialism has taken over shape the party’s image. to say because, too often, his rhetoric is our culture, and we want to show that.” culated heavily again on Tuesday night,
the Democratic Party. Mr. Trump is now And even some of the president’s BY JOSE A. DEL REAL disconnected from what their communi- Many residents here say they wish found the city’s crime rate peaked in
firmly aligned with that view. harshest critics say he may be on to ties really want. They have struggled to Mr. Trump understood that immigration 1993, but by 2006 had sharply declined
“Most Americans are obviously not something. Donald Trump was on the television, but reconcile the president’s warnings and cross-national exchanges are cele- to its lowest level in decades. Construc-
up on the distinctions between demo- “The idea of throwing the socialist no matter. Ferdinando Galeana’s about threatening conditions on the bor- brated in these towns along the border. tion on the border fence that Mr. Trump
cratic socialists and communists,” Mr. thing out there politically is pretty crafty customers were watching their plates, der with their own experiences living in Hildy Carrillo, the executive director appeared to reference began in 2008.
Kazin said. “He, like other conserva- because, truly, there is just enough truth not the president. this quiet, largely agricultural hamlet. of the Chamber of Commerce in Calex- The paper also noted that, before the
tives who had talked about the so-called in there to make it sticky and interest- As Mr. Trump delivered an ominous “What he’s saying on the news is dif- ico, Calif., the border town about 12 miles fence was approved, El Paso and Ciudad
Red Menace over the years, is trying to ing,” said Mike Murphy, a Republican State of the Union address from Wash- ferent from what we’re seeing here,” south of El Centro, has sharply criticized Juárez, Mexico, had been separated by a
confuse the two things in people’s strategist and longtime Trump critic. ington, which warned repeatedly about said Cecy Magallanes, 45, who is origi- the president’s immigration policies. border barrier for decades.
minds.” “They are lurching left. For once, some- the dangers along the southwest border, nally from Mexicali, not far across the She watched with exasperation last Before the speech on Tuesday, Gov.
But that is not how conservatives look how, a little honesty crept into one of Mr. Galeana dutifully tended to orders of border in Mexico, and works as a school Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico,
at the way that Mr. Trump seems ready Trump’s proclamations. It’s code for the tacos, horchata and micheladas at bus driver. a Democrat, denounced “the president’s
to portray Democrats. loony left.” D’Poly, the Mexican eatery his family She said Mr. Trump’s previous calls Watching with curiosity and charade of border fear-mongering” and
runs here about 10 miles from the Mexi- for a border wall seemed “like a strategy apprehension as the president ordered the withdrawal of most Na-
can border. What the president was say- to get votes.” has escalated his calls for a wall tional Guard troops stationed at the bor-
ing on the screen behind him, said Mr. “His wall — always his wall,” added der in her state.
Galeana, would not help his small busi- Cesar Salas, Ms. Magallanes’s husband,
along the southwest frontier. Many people living along the border,
ness, his family or his five dozen em- shaking his head. including Mexican immigrants, say
ployees. Located on El Centro’s Main Street, year when Mr. Trump called the replace- they understand the desire for strong
“What we need here is someone to D’Poly and its clientele embody the bi- ment of the town’s border barrier “the border security. But even those who
help people looking for jobs,” said Mr. culturalism of border towns across the start of our Southern Border WALL!” agreed with some of the president’s po-
Galeana, whose wife and American- Southwest. Farm workers, white-collar She said she feared the remark would sitions here were quick to point out that
born children work with him at the professionals, big families and off-duty turn Calexico into an anti-immigration his statements about immigrants, and
restaurant. “The things he says, they Border Patrol agents congregate here symbol and make it seem unsafe. Mexicans in particular, made them dis-
make me laugh.” for tacos, sopes and flavored juices. For that reason, Ms. Carrillo, a Demo- inclined to support him.
Residents of El Centro and several Modern and minimalist, the restau- crat, chose not to watch the speech Tues- Cristina Bejarano, 34, a Mexican la-
other towns along the California-Mexico rant’s gray walls and dark wood floors day — “one of the few I’ve ever missed,” borer who picks cilantro and lives in
border have watched with curiosity and could be the backdrop of an elegant she said. She went shopping instead, she Calexico, said that life for her and other
apprehension in recent years as the Crate and Barrel photo shoot — save for said, because “I refuse to get stressed immigrants in the region can be difficult
president has escalated his calls for a an arresting pink mural of Frida Kahlo out having to listen to him.” because of the nature of farm work. But
wall along the southwest frontier. Mr. that instantly sets the room apart. Such frustrations are frequently ex- she said she moved to the United States
Trump repeated his warnings about Flashes of pastel pop from behind a tiled pressed in towns along the southwest two years ago because, even if farm la-
such perils again in his address. bar, which includes a display of “Dia de border, which spans nearly 2,000 miles bor is backbreaking, her life and pros-
“Republicans and Democrats must los Muertos” statuettes. from California to Texas. Public officials pects are better here than in Mexico.
join forces again to confront an urgent English and Spanish are heard virtu- from El Paso took to social media after She said she wished President Trump
national crisis,” Mr. Trump said during ally interchangeably at table after table. Tuesday night’s speech to accuse the and others could understand that.
his speech, delivered not long after a bit- Latin pop plays in the background, president of intentionally misleading “A lot of people haven’t had a chance
ter impasse over funding for a border songs like “Dónde Estarás” by the Mexi- the public after he said a border barrier to meet any Mexicans,” Ms. Bejarano
SARAH SILBIGER/THE NEW YORK TIMES wall that shut down the government for can electrocumbia musician Raymix. had turned around high crime rates in said. “They say we’re all criminals when
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump said that “in the United 35 days. “Congress has 10 days left to Mr. Galeana, who owns the restaurant the city. “Simply put, walls work and we’re not. Just because we’re brown
States, we are alarmed by new calls to adopt socialism in our country.” pass a bill that will fund our govern- along with his wife, Teresa, said he and walls save lives,” Mr. Trump said. doesn’t mean we’re dirty.”
well
Business
A World Bank critic
might be its next chief
of other countries about the plan to se-
WASHINGTON
lect Mr. Malpass and that they have
been “receptive” to the choice. The offi-
cials said that Mr. Malpass had a history
Trump nominee professes of working constructively with China
and that he would honor commitments
his belief in mission, but the bank had made on issues such as cli-
skeptics fear politicization mate change.
Other countries have until March 14 to
BY ALAN RAPPEPORT offer their own candidates for president
AND BINYAMIN APPELBAUM and, on Wednesday, a World Bank offi-
cial said that at least one other country
President Trump’s nominee for the next is expected to nominate someone. The
World Bank president is a longtime head of the World Bank is traditionally
critic of the organization’s lending prac- selected by the United States, but the
tices and its business model who has ex- nomination must be approved by the
pressed concern about the power that bank’s board, which consists of officials
multilateral institutions exert. from across the world.
The nominee, David Malpass, a Wall Mr. Malpass said he had already re-
Street veteran who is currently the un- ceived numerous expressions of sup-
der secretary for international affairs at port from other countries.
the Treasury Department, has been a He will begin a six-week confirmation
point person in the Trump administra- process by traveling to Japan and China
tion’s trade negotiations with China and to present his credentials and ask for
has overseen the government’s relation- support from officials from those coun-
ship with the World Bank. tries. He will also join the American del-
His appointment, which needs ap- egation heading to Beijing next week for
proval by the World Bank’s board, could the next round of trade talks ahead of a
prove controversial given Mr. Malpass’s March 2 deadline.
skepticism about the bank and concerns As World Bank president, Mr. Mal-
that the Trump administration could po- pass could put additional pressure on
liticize the role and use it to curb China’s China at a time when it is locked in a pro-
growing influence around the world. tracted battle with the United States for
Mr. Malpass tried to clarify his views geopolitical and economic dominance.
toward the World Bank, arguing that The Trump administration has been
critics ignore his experience with devel- urging the bank to reduce lending to
opment issues and insisting that he be- China, which since 2016 has received
lieves in the mission of the organization. more than $7.8 billion in bank loans, ac-
“As I look at it, I’ve been a construc- cording to the Center for Global Devel-
tive force for development and for devel- opment.
COLE BURSTON/GETTY IMAGES oping countries,” Mr. Malpass told re- In comments in 2017 at the Council on
Steel coils at an ArcelorMittal Dofasco plant in Hamilton, Ontario. Many Republican lawmakers in the United States want the White House to remove steel tariffs on Canada. porters during a briefing at the Treasury Foreign Relations, Mr. Malpass argued
Department. “I think the bank is well po- that this should change.
sitioned to be a positive contributor to
nomic policy victory, certainly since tax trading system with higher tariffs and da and Mexico to try to salvage Nafta, a ocratic element to the selection process, The World Bank nominee, David Malpass,
BY JIM TANKERSLEY reform,” Mr. Toomey, one of Mr. Trump’s more restrictive trade barriers. 25-year-old pact that has become criti- there are others who are by most objec- has had a key role in China trade talks.
most vocal critics on trade, said. Republicans are warning that such a cal to the North American economy, par- tive metrics more qualified,” said Doug-
President Trump lauded his new trade Privately, some congressional Demo- move most likely falls outside Mr. ticularly the automobile and agriculture las Rediker, who represented the United
agreement with Canada and Mexico in crats remain hopeful that the agreement Trump’s authority and would only re- sectors. States on the executive board of the In- “The World Bank’s biggest borrower
his State of the Union address and urged can pass, particularly if negotiations duce the chances of Congress passing The agreement expanded the flow of ternational Monetary Fund from 2010 to is China,” Mr. Malpass said. “Well, China
Congress to pass the revised pact. The with the administration continue to fly the U.S.M.C.A. goods and capital between the three 2012. “That suggests a political agenda has plenty of resources. And it doesn’t
deal, he argued, will help American under the radar. “I imagine you’d have a huge sell-off countries, and prompted multinational by the Trump administration to put make sense to have money borrowed in
farmers and workers and ensure “that Mr. Trump must still submit the deal in equities and have very, very dis- corporations to stretch their supply someone in to address a U.S.-policy- the U.S., using the U.S. government
more cars are proudly stamped with the — along with legislation laying out how rupted financial markets,” Mr. Toomey chains up and down the continent. driven agenda.” guarantee, going into lending in China
four beautiful words: Made in the it would be put in place — to Congress. While Mr. Trump had long threatened He added, “That was not necessarily for a country that’s got other resources
U.S.A.” And administration officials continue to rip up Nafta, the business community how that job was intended when it was and access to capital markets.”
But the pact, which replaces the to insist that the deal will ultimately get Both Democrats and Republicans and many Republican lawmakers created.” Last year, Mr. Malpass helped negoti-
North American Free Trade Agreement, approved. “We are confident that Con- say the revised trade agreement pushed to keep it intact, insisting that In nominating Mr. Malpass, Mr. ate a $13 billion capital increase for the
is currently imperiled in Congress, and gress will approve U.S.M.C.A.,” a has little chance of passing doing away with the pact would ulti- Trump is installing a loyalist and presi- World Bank. One condition of the agree-
both Democrats and Republicans say it spokesman for the United States trade mately hurt the United States economy. dential campaign adviser to a promi- ment was that richer developing coun-
has little chance of passing without sig- representative said in an email. “It was
without significant changes. The new deal, which was agreed to in nent post with a five-year term. The tries, such as China, would face higher
nificant changes. negotiated in close consultation with September, primarily updates Nafta but president, in announcing his pick on borrowing costs.
Democrats say the deal does not go Democrats and Republicans, and enjoys said. “I sure hope the president does not contains some new provisions, includ- Wednesday, called Mr. Malpass a “very Mr. Malpass could also steer the bank
far enough to protect workers and the overwhelming support from the busi- go down that road.” ing requiring higher wages at automak- extraordinary man.” away from accommodating China’s Belt
environment, while Republicans say it ness community and farm groups.” Republican strategists say that unless ers and greater ability to sell dairy prod- “He’s been a supporter for a long and Road development initiative, which
goes too far in restricting trade, particu- But big hurdles remain to achieving Mr. Trump agrees to compromise, he ucts in Canada. time,” Mr. Trump said. he has assailed for being harmful to de-
larly in the auto sector. bipartisan consensus that would allow will most likely face defeat. Mr. Toomey said he remained deeply The former Bear Stearns economist veloping countries that receive loans
The stalemate has some business the pact to move through Congress. Mr. “The president has two options on concerned that the administration had and veteran of the George Bush and and other financing from China. In testi-
leaders increasingly worried that the Toomey said he could not support the this trade deal: the honey or the ham- not rolled back the steel and aluminum Reagan administrations has managed mony before the House Financial Serv-
administration lacks a winning strategy deal without significant changes in the mer,” said Antonia Ferrier, a Republican tariffs that it had imposed on Canada to win accolades from both the populist ices Committee last December, Mr. Mal-
to move the revised deal through a di- implementing legislation. The new strategist with Definers Public Affairs and Mexico after the trilateral trade and free-market wings of the Trump ad- pass warned that the initiative “often
vided Congress, in a year when a pro- agreement inhibits free trade, he said, and a former aide to the Senate majority agreement was reached last year. ministration by mixing financial acu- leaves countries with excessive debt
longed government shutdown has fur- citing new wage requirements on auto- leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. He is working on bipartisan legisla- men with hawkishness on China. and poor-quality projects.”
ther eroded what little inclination Dem- mobile manufacturing as a particular Mr. Trump, she said, could bargain with tion that would curtail Mr. Trump’s abil- Mr. Malpass is being tapped to head On Wednesday, Mr. Malpass made
ocrats and Republicans had to work to- concern. Ms. Pelosi or withdraw from Nafta. ity to impose tariffs on the basis of na- the World Bank after its previous presi- clear that he wants to see greater trans-
gether on large pieces of legislation. And many Republicans, including Mr. “Neither are great options,” she said, tional security — which the president dent, Jim Yong Kim, abruptly an- parency when it comes to loans that
“Partisan rancor has made it more Toomey and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, “which is why there’s so much skepti- used to justify the steel and aluminum nounced in January that he would re- China is giving to developing countries
difficult to see any kind of major legisla- the chairman of the Senate Homeland cism that U.S.M.C.A. will even happen.” tariffs — without congressional approv- sign from the post, nearly three years and that, as president of the bank, he
tion move forward, including on trade,” Security and Governmental Affairs Democrats, including populists who al. before his term expired. would push to make that happen. He
said John Murphy, senior vice president Committee, say they want the White tend to side more with Mr. Trump than The president would almost certainly Senior Trump administration officials said he continues to believe that wealth-
for international policy at the U.S. House to remove steel and aluminum Mr. Toomey on trade issues, say they are veto such a measure. told reporters on Wednesday that ier countries like China should not drain
Chamber of Commerce. tariffs on Canada and Mexico because open to working with the administration Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secre- funds from poor countries that need the
Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republi- Mr. Trump had reached a deal with the to improve and pass the agreement. Alan Rappeport contributed reporting. tary, has briefed many finance ministers bank’s assistance.
BY ELIZABETH PATON
“These people are the most vulnera-
ble of all. They currently have no other
Ever since the Rana Plaza disaster in choice other than to accept the exploit-
2013, Western fashion brands have been ative labor conditions offered to them by
under pressure to investigate and police these fashion sub-suppliers,” he said.
their own supply chains. Now, a new re- Home work — working from home or
port from the University of California, a small workshop as opposed to in a fac-
Berkeley, shows just how shadowy tory, often for a subcontractor who is
those supply lines are, as scores of la- then employed by a supplier for an es- To benefit
bels rely not just on factories in India but tablished company or brand — has long
also on exploited home workers. been a cornerstone of the fast-fashion
FEB VALENTINE’S
- BE MY GUEST PRODUCTION /ILLUSTRATION ALEXANDRE BENJAMIN NAVET
14
manufacturer and exporter of fashion in countries such as India, Bangladesh,
garments after China, with some 13 mil-
lion people working in factories within
Vietnam and China, where millions of
low-paid and predominantly female DAY GALA
its supply chain alone. But millions more home workers are among the most un- HÔTEL DE VILLE DE PARIS 9 PM-2 AM
are employed in less formal settings
and, according to the report — titled
protected in the industry. However,
there is also evidence of exploitation in 2019
“Tainted Garments” and written by Sid- global fashion more broadly. An investi-
dharth Kara, an expert on contempo-
rary slavery — many are women and
gation into the rights of home workers
employed within the shadowy luxury in-
KIDDYSMILE / CAMELIAJORDANA
girls from historically oppressed ethnic FREDO DE LUNA/VW PICS - UIG, VIA GETTY IMAGES dustry in Italy was published by The CORINE / ARNAUD REBOTINI
communities or Muslims who work
from home, the majority for long hours
A sewing machine at a home in India. A study on home-based garment workers in India
found that 99 percent were paid less than the state-mandated minimum wage.
New York Times last September.
The findings from the University of HOSHI / ORNETTE / KRISTINABAZAN
and in hazardous conditions, earning as
little as 15 cents per hour.
California report constitute some of the
most comprehensive assessments of DJ CÉCILE TOGNI / LES DANSEURS
Researchers working with Mr. Kara
spoke to 1,452 home workers for the re-
“Due to the lack of transparency and
the informal nature of home-based
ened by the fact that there is little to no
regulation or enforcement from the
conditions facing home-based garment
workers to date. The report shines fresh
DE L’OPÉRA DE PARIS / COMPAGNIE
LINK
port, published in January, “in the hopes work, which takes place right at the bot- state regarding their work.” light on the harsh realities of the prac- EMKA O/W!LA MADAME KLAUDE
© FONDS DE DOTATION
that their otherwise silent voices would tom of the fashion supply chain, the In South Asia, Mr. Kara added, the in- tice, including the use of child and forced BOOK N
be heard and might motivate others to worker has virtually no avenue to seek formal economy is populated almost en- labor. In northern India, where most of www.paramourlebal.paris
take action to ameliorate the exploit- redress for abusive or unfair condi- tirely by low caste or religious minor- the 1,452 workers interviewed were lo-
ative working conditions many of them tions,” Mr. Kara said in a phone inter- ities, who lack access to social systems, cated, about 76 percent started their
endure,” he wrote in the introduction. view this week. “The situation is wors- education and opportunities. INDIA, PAGE 8
..
8 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
business
15 cents
A.I. reporters: Fast, and no typos an hour
Major news organizations
testing out journalism
to produce
generated by machines garments
BY JACLYN PEISER
INDIA, FROM PAGE 7
As reporters and editors find them- home-based work because of “some
selves the victims of layoffs at digital form of duress,” including severe finan-
publishers and traditional newspaper cial hardship, family pressure or lack of
chains alike, journalism generated by alternate income. The youngest individ-
machine is on the rise. ual interviewed was 10 years old; up to
Roughly a third of the content pub- 19 percent of the workers were between
lished by Bloomberg News uses some 10 and 18 years old.
form of automated technology. The sys- Most of the women and girls inter-
tem used by the company, Cyborg, is viewed for the report said they are
able to assist reporters in churning out tasked with the “finishing touches” of a
thousands of articles on company earn- garment: embroidery, tasseling, fring-
ings reports each quarter. ing, beadwork and buttons. None be-
The program can dissect a financial longed to a trade union or had a written
report the moment it appears and spit agreement for their work, and more
out an immediate news story that in- than 99 percent were paid less than the
cludes the most pertinent facts and fig- state-stipulated minimum wage under
ures. And unlike business reporters, Indian law. Minimum wage for an eight-
who find working on that kind of thing a hour work day ranges from the equiva-
snooze, it does so without complaint. lent of $3.08 (39 cents per hour for un-
Untiring and accurate, Cyborg helps skilled work in the state of Rajasthan) to
Bloomberg in its race against Reuters, $8.44 ($1.05 per hour for work in New
its main rival in the field of quick-twitch Delhi). According to the report, most
business financial journalism, as well as home workers received between 50 per-
giving it a fighting chance against a cent and 90 percent less than they were
more recent player in the information owed. And approximately 85 percent ex-
race, hedge funds, which use artificial
intelligence to serve their clients fresh
facts. “We cannot leave this work, even
“The financial markets are ahead of though we are treated so badly. If
others in this,” said John Micklethwait, we leave this work, the company
the editor in chief of Bloomberg.
In addition to covering company
will never give us work again.”
earnings for Bloomberg, robot reporters
have been prolific producers of articles clusively worked in supply chains for
on minor league baseball for The Associ- the export of apparel products to the
ated Press, high school football for The United States and the European Union.
Washington Post and earthquakes for “Their days amount to little more
The Los Angeles Times. than running the home and working as
Last week, The Guardian’s Australia many hours as they can to meet these
edition published its first machine-as- CAM COTTRILL orders, cooped up inside,” Mr. Kara said,
sisted article, an account of annual poli- noting that injury and chronic illness, in-
tical donations to the country’s political 2016 elections. Last year, thanks to Heli- the data is in — for a weather event, a fakes,” the convincingly fabricated im- rooms to the introduction of the tele- cluding back pain and diminishing eye-
parties. And Forbes recently announced ograf, The Post won in the category of baseball game or an earnings report — ages generated through A.I. phone. “It gives you more access, and sight, were common complaints as a re-
that it was testing a tool called Bertie to Excellence in Use of Bots at the annual the system can create an article. “Maybe a few years ago A.I. was this you get more information quicker,” he sult of the monotonous work.
provide reporters with rough drafts and Global Biggies Awards, which recognize But machine-generated stories are new shiny technology used by high tech said. “It’s a new field, but technology “We cannot leave this work, even
story templates. accomplishments in the use of big data not infallible. For an earnings report ar- companies, but now it’s actually becom- changes. Today it’s A.I., tomorrow it’s though we are treated so badly. If we
As the use of artificial intelligence has and artificial intelligence. (As if to make ticle, for instance, software systems ing a necessity,” said Francesco Mar- blockchain, and in 10 years it will be leave this work, the company will never
become a part of the industry’s toolbox, journalists jittery, the Biggies ceremony may meet their match in companies that coni, the head of research and develop- something else. What does not change is give us work again,” said one 36-year-
journalism executives say it is not a took place at Columbia University’s Pul- cleverly choose figures in an effort to ment at The Journal. “I think a lot of the the journalistic standard.” old garment worker from near Jaipur
threat to human employees. Rather, the itzer Hall.) garner a more favorable portrayal than tools in journalism will soon be powered Marc Zionts, the chief executive of Au- whose account was detailed in the re-
idea is to allow journalists to spend more Jeremy Gilbert, the director of stra- the numbers warrant. At Bloomberg, re- by artificial intelligence.” tomated Insights, said that machines port. None of those interviewed were
time on substantive work. tegic initiatives at The Post, said the The New York Times said it had no were a long way from being able to re- named, for fear that they would lose
“The work of journalism is creative, company also used A.I. to promote arti- plans for machine-generated news arti- place flesh-and-blood reporters and edi- their livelihoods or their families would
it’s about curiosity, it’s about storytell- cles with a local orientation in topics like “I hope we’ll see A.I. tools cles, but the company has experimented tors. He added that his daughter was a be punished for speaking out. The wom-
ing, it’s about digging and holding gov- political races to readers in specific re- become a productivity tool with using A.I. to personalize newslet- journalist in South Dakota — and al- en said that labor subcontractors, who
ernments accountable, it’s critical think- gions — a practice called geo-targeting. in the practice of reporting ters, help with comment moderation though he had not advised her to leave typically are male, were often verbally
ing, it’s judgment — and that is where “When you start to talk about mass and identify images as it digitizes its ar- her job, he had told her to get acquainted abusive or intimidating to secure com-
we want our journalists spending their media, with national or international
and finding clues.” chive. with the latest technology. pliance.
energy,” said Lisa Gibbs, the director of reach, you run the risk of losing the in- Previous technological advances “If you are a nonlearning, nonadap- The report also stated that few of the
news partnerships for The A.P. terest of readers who are interested in porters and editors try to prepare Cy- have rendered moot a number of jobs tive person — I don’t care what business brands or companies who employ these
The A.P. was an early adopter when it stories on their smaller communities,” borg so that it will not be spun by such that were once essential to the journal- you’re in — you will have a challenging workers in their supply chain were
struck a deal in 2014 with Automated In- Mr. Gilbert said. “So we asked, ‘How can tactics. ism industry, such as Linotype operator. career,” Mr. Zionts said. aware that this work was being out-
sights, a technology company specializ- we scale our expertise?’” A.I. in newsrooms may also go be- But reporters and editors have not yet For Patch, a nationwide news organi- sourced to home workers, or of the con-
ing in language generation software The A.P., The Post and Bloomberg yond the production of rote articles. been tempted to smash the programs zation devoted to local news, A.I. pro- ditions many home workers faced. For-
that produces billions of machine-gener- have also set up internal alerts to signal “I hope we’ll see A.I. tools become a now taking care of some of the busy vides an assist to its 110 staff reporters eign brands found to be involved —
ated stories a year. anomalous bits of data. Reporters who productivity tool in the practice of re- work that once fell to them. and numerous freelancers who cover “largely household names,” said Mr.
In addition to leaning on the software see the alert can then determine if there porting and finding clues,” said Hilary “When you look at the ways things are about 800 communities, especially in Kara — were not named in the report in
to generate minor league and college is a bigger story to be written by a hu- Mason, the general manager for ma- laid out and printed and produced and their coverage of the weather. In a given an effort to discourage them from
game stories, The A.P., like Bloomberg, man being. During the Olympics, for in- chine learning at Cloudera, a data man- distributed, a lot of those functions have week, more than 3,000 posts on Patch — pulling out of contracts or from limiting
has used it to beef up its coverage of stance, The Post set up alerts on Slack, agement software company. “When you been replaced with technology,” said 5 to 10 percent of its output — are ma- economic opportunity.
company earnings reports. Since join- the workplace messaging system, to in- do data analysis, you can see anomalies Nastaran Mohit, the organizing director chine-generated, said the company’s “We could name and shame them, but
ing forces with Automated Insights, The form editors if a result was 10 percent and patterns using A.I. And a human for the News Guild of New York. She chief executive, Warren St. John. it could be more successful to try and
A.P. has gone from producing 300 arti- above or below an Olympic record. journalist is the right person to under- added that she did not consider A.I. a In addition to giving reporters more take a more constructive avenue here,”
cles on earnings reports per quarter to A.I. journalism is not as simple as a stand and figure out.” threat to newsroom workers, while also time to pursue their interests, machine Mr. Kara said. “These women and girls
3,700. shiny robot banging out copy. A lot of The Wall Street Journal and Dow noting that the guild monitors emerging journalism comes with an added benefit may only earn pennies but they are cru-
The Post has an in-house robot report- work goes into the front end, with edi- Jones are experimenting with the tech- technologies to make sure that hypothe- for editors. cial ones. If the brands simply pulled out
er called Heliograf, which demonstrated tors and writers meticulously crafting nology to help with various tasks, in- sis holds true. “One thing I’ve noticed,” Mr. St. John and they lost their home work, it could
its usefulness with its coverage of the several versions of a story, complete cluding the transcription of interviews Mr. Marconi of The Journal agreed, said, “is that our A.I.-written articles be disastrous for them and their fam-
2016 Summer Olympic Games and the with text for different outcomes. Once or helping journalists identify “deep likening the addition of A.I. in news- have zero typos.” ilies.”
Opinion
A deal with the Taliban will prevent U.S. attacks
Taliban Borhan Osman
members
have come to
see Al Qaeda The United States and the Taliban
and the made progress in peace talks in late
January after coming to a basic under-
Islamic State standing about withdrawing American
as a threat to troops in return for Taliban commit-
their cause. ments to prevent Afghanistan from
becoming a safe haven for transnation-
al terrorists. An agreement between
the United States and the Taliban has
been long overdue — as part of a
broader settlement also involving the
Taliban's Afghan opponents — and is
the way out of a war without victory.
The fear of Afghanistan-based ter-
rorists attacking the United States has
been the key reason for keeping Amer-
ican troops in the country and keeping
the Taliban out of power, but it is
rooted more in perception than in
reality.
The transnational terrorist threat
from Afghanistan has been exaggerat-
ed. For years, I have puzzled over
claims from American and Afghan
officials that 20 terrorist groups oper-
ate in Afghanistan. Ashraf Ghani, the
president of Afghani-
The reality stan, portrayed the
country as a “front
is that the line” in the global
Afghan war fight against terror-
is a two-sided ism. These state-
struggle, ments make the
something Afghan conflict
increasingly appear terribly
rare in the chaotic.
fragmented The reality is that
the Afghan war is a
landscape two-sided struggle,
of modern something increas-
warfare. ingly rare in the
fragmented land-
scape of modern
warfare. The conflict in Afghanistan is
simpler than the multifactional wars in
Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Almost
every battle in Afghanistan involves
the Taliban fighting the government MAXIM SHEMETOV/REUTERS
opinion
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..
THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 | 11
opinion
“broad” in Greek, like the broad leaves two more extended trips to Sicily. The ingly called Platon. I thought about
of the platanos or plane tree under Academy survived for a few more cen- having a quick glass of red wine in
which Socrates and Phaedrus sit and turies until it was destroyed by the Plato’s honor, but lost courage, took two
talk about eros. Some think that Plato Roman general Sulla in 87 B.C.E. during photos, and left.
was so called because he was broad- the sack of Athens. The buildings were
shouldered because of his prowess in probably burned along with many other SIMON CRITCHLEY is a professor of philos-
wrestling. sanctuaries, and the trees from the ophy at the New School for Social Re-
I began to ponder and wandered from grove of academe were felled to provide search and the author of several books,
the Gymnasium, across the park and a timber for his siege machines. So it including “What We Think About When
street to the scant remains of another goes, I thought.
CONDUCTOR OPERA BASTILLE OPERADEPARIS.FR
We Think About Soccer” and the forth- INGO METZMACHER FROM APRIL 6 + 33 1 71 25 24 23
building in the Academy complex, A faint but clearly perceptible smell of coming “Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us.” DIRECTOR
which is approximately 130 feet square. urine hung in the air of the palaestra. On TO APRIL 25, 2019
He is the moderator of The Stone. KRZYSZTOF WARLIKOWSKI
It has the typical dimensions of a palaes- the corner as I looked up, two men were CHORUS MASTER
tra, or wrestling school. In my mind’s rummaging carefully and quietly “Athens in Pieces” is a series of dis- JOSÉ LUIS BASSO
eye, I saw an elderly Plato sitting watch- through a baby-blue refuse bin. patches by the author, tracing the past
PARIS OPERA ORCHESTRA
ing his academicians wrestle, occasion- What was striking was how exposed of Athens. Each post will focus on a AND CHORUS
ally offering coaching advice and en- and all these remains were: no fences, specific object or site from Greek antiq-
couragement. no border walls and no security cam- uity for insight into contemporary life
Sometimes the less we know, the eras. and politics.
..
12 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Sports
Helicopter parents take up college football
las, a tight end, posed alongside his fa-
With matching jerseys ther at Pitt and Kentucky before signing
with the latter — recalled a long visit
and photo ops, signing day with Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn. “We
becomes a family affair spent 20 minutes talking about football,”
Ognenovic said. “The rest was about the
BY MARC TRACY new addition on his deck, the truck he
bought. He’s a regular guy.”
When Leslie Smith, a high school senior The trend can also be a way for
from Miami, made his official visit to the coaches to signal to recruits, present
University of Pittsburgh last month, he and future, what kind of program they
got an idea before a photo shoot in which are running. For instance, Florida’s sec-
he was to pose wearing the Panthers’ ond-year head coach, Dan Mullen, ap-
football uniform. pears intent on reintroducing to Gaines-
He asked his mother, Lucretia Chap- ville the kind of whimsy one expects
ple, who was accompanying him on his from a team whose fans do a gator-chop
visit, to put on the jersey. on game days.
His request was too mild for her. In contrast, a Tennessee assistant
“She decided, ‘I’m going to put on the coach recently spoke out against the
whole uniform,’” Smith said. practice, posting on Twitter that one of
The result is a pair of pictures of the things he prays for was “that I
Smith, who will suit up for Pitt more reg- NEVER have to outfit someone’s dad in
ularly next season as a freshman line- full gear for a photo shoot.” It is not
backer, and Chapple, who in years past shocking that the assistant first worked
played basketball and ran track. Both with Tennessee’s head coach, Jeremy
are clad in the school’s blue and gold col- Pruitt, when both were on the staff of
ors, head to almost-toe (they did not ap- Alabama’s buttoned-up Nick Saban,
pear to have cleats that fit Chapple). whose recruits are probably not very
Long hair flows from the back of her hel- likely to pose alongside mom or dad.
met. So why do some players and parents
“She looks pretty good in that uni- want these photographs, and why do
form,” said Smith’s future coach, Pat they make heavy rotation on social me-
Narduzzi. “She looks like a player.” dia and in the sports blogosphere?
Parents of college-age students have The photos are a reminder of the hu-
long proudly advertised where their stu- man dimension in college football’s an-
dents attend school on sweatshirts, nual meat market. For all the hoopla
bumper stickers or coffee mugs. over which program has signed the best
But football parents — a special class (spoiler: it probably was Alabama
species of sports parent — have a new again) and which team whiffed on a top
twist on that this year. As national sign- TARA OGNENOVIC UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH ATHLETICS in-state linebacker, often overlooked is
ing day dawned Wednesday, the trend Steve Ognenovic, left, and his son Nikolas, a tight end from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., posed Leslie Smith of Miami, right, and his mother, Lucretia Chapple, posed for a photo dur- how big a day this is for the prospects
du jour was parents’ dressing up in uni- together on visits to Pitt and the University of Kentucky. Nikolas signed with Kentucky. ing an official visit to the University of Pittsburgh. He has since signed with the college. themselves, who, like so many other ad-
forms alongside their talented sons. olescents who are less gifted on the grid-
The resulting shots have been posted iron, are finally completing the large
to Twitter and Instagram, of course, as Smith did, but signing day is still “This is the era of ‘we’ parenting, i.e., tors may offer about how well a certain Oregon’s neon green uniform as op- and much-celebrated process of decid-
from which they have ricocheted across when ultimate judgment about coaches’ ‘We have a midterm. We’ve got a game linebacker meshes with a certain co- posed to Jamal’s black one. ing where to go to college.
the web. recruiting is rendered. tomorrow. We’re being recruited by top- ordinator’s defensive philosophy or how “It’s a long-term decision,” Hill added. Steve Snyder said that, when a Mis-
“I had buddies coming up to me being “For college football, recruiting is the tier schools,’” Julie Lythcott-Haims, a successful a college program is at devel- “You’ve got to trust them. Once you souri coach asked if he wanted to put a
like, ‘You know you’re on Barstool lifeblood,” said Luke Stampini, a recruit- former Stanford administrator and the oping players for the N.F.L., much of re- start recruiting the whole family, that jersey on, “I thought to myself, how
Sports?’” said Steve Snyder, who posed ing analyst at 247Sports. “If you’re not author of “How to Raise an Adult,” said cruiting comes down to the more basic makes it go more smoothly.” many opportunities am I ever going to
alongside his son, Sam, a tight end, dur- recruiting well, you’re probably not go- in an email. element of feel. Even for top football During their campus visits, recruits get to have an experience like this with
ing Sam’s official visit to Missouri. ing to be around for long.” “If the child is wearing a jersey signal- players, college football is also college, typically tour not only football facilities my son?”
There may be no bigger date on the The uniform photo op arguably re- ing their recruitment status, the we- and that means getting the family to but academic ones. Coaches are as likely His son ended up signing with Baylor,
calendar for college football teams than flects broader currents in child rearing. speaking parent wants that cool jersey, sign on, too. to shoot the breeze as to draw Xs and Os and, Snyder said, friends and family had
signing day, since personnel over- It could be cast as helicopter parenting too,” she said, adding, “But where does “The recruiting process is not just on a whiteboard, hoping to make re- already loaded up on Bears gear.
whelmingly dictates a team’s ultimate — or perhaps the next generation of hel- this intertwined-ness stop?” about the player. They can’t recruit the cruits — and their families — feel like “You’re very proud parents,” he said.
success or failure. For the past two icopter parenting, in which the parent What the novelty undeniably reveals player. They’ve got to recruit the family,” their college is a suitable home away “Lot of hard work.”
years, players have also been able to ropes down from the chopper right after is a crucial secret to recruiting nowa- said Jamal Hill, who posed alongside his from home.
sign during a brief window in December, the child. days. For all the talk that prognostica- older brother, Jeffrey, who got to wear Steve Ognenovic — whose son Niko- Doris Burke contributed research.
WIZARD of ID DILBERT
(c) PZZL.com Distributed by The New York Times syndicate
Created by Peter Ritmeester/Presented by Will Shortz
Culture
Wu Jing, above, in “The Wandering Earth,” which opened this week. Below, Liu Cixin, a Hugo Award-winning writer who’s led a science-fiction renaissance in China. Two of his works were the bases for “The Wandering Earth” and “Crazy Alien.”
Countdown to China’s sci-fi era which the sun is about to expand into a deeply researched. That makes them “I really hope that this movie will not would be a spoiler.)
BEIJING
red giant and devour the Earth. plausible fantasies about humanity’s en- lose money at least,” said Guo, whose “The Wandering Earth” takes for
The impending peril forces the counters with a dangerous universe. previous film, “My Old Classmate,” was granted China’s central role in future
world’s engineers to devise a plan to Translating them into movies would a romantic comedy. “As long as this one space exploration, but it also has a vi-
Filmmakers go big budget move the planet to a new solar system challenge any filmmaker, as the director does not lose money, we can continue to sion of the international collaboration
using giant thrusters. Things go very of “The Wandering Earth,” Guo Fan, ac- make science-fiction films.” necessary to cope with the threats fac-
as they tackle Hollywood’s badly when Earth has to pass Jupiter, knowledged during a screening in Bei- The popularity of Liu’s novels could ing the planet, a theme that runs deeply
special effects standards setting off a desperate scramble to save jing last week. help. So could two recent Hollywood through Liu’s fiction. Liu, who attended
humanity from annihilation. That has made the film, produced by films, “Gravity” and “The Martian.” a screening last week, noted that sci-
BY STEVEN LEE MYERS
The special effects — like the apoca- Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Com- Both included important plot twists ence-fiction films in China dated as far
lyptic climatic changes that would occur pany and the state-owned China Film that, not incidentally, cast China’s space back as the 1930s, when the director
China was a latecomer to space explora- if Earth suddenly moved out of its cozy Group Corp., a test for the industry. program in a positive light, and both Yang Xiaozhong made ones like “Ex-
tion, and in the movies, it has been a late- orbit — are certain to be measured were huge hits here. changed” and “Visiting Shanghai After
comer to science fiction, too. That is against Hollywood’s, as ever here. And The openings also come as China 60 Years,” but those were largely forgot-
about to change. the preliminary reviews have been pos- “Shanghai Fortress” is about reached a milestone in space: the land- ten here after the Communist revolution
The country’s first blockbuster set in itive. an alien attack on Earth. In ing of a probe on the far side of the moon in 1949.
space, “The Wandering Earth,” opened “It’s like the coming-of-age of the in- “Pathfinder,” a spaceship crashes in January. Although decades behind IMAGINECHINA, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS A 1980 movie, “Death Ray on Coral Is-
Tuesday amid grandiose expectations dustry,” Zhou said. Russia and the United States, China has land,” was a campy, propagandistic flop.
that it will represent the dawning of a “The Wandering Earth” opens with
on a desert planet. now put astronauts in orbit and has am- space era can we make works like ‘The There have been few attempts since.
new era in Chinese filmmaking. the Lunar New Year, the beginning of an bitious plans to join — or even lead — a Wandering Earth.’” “This is mainly because Chinese soci-
It is one in a series of ambitious, big- official, weeklong holiday that is tradi- Guo, who uses the name Frant Gwo in new age of space exploration. Unlike “Operation Red Sea” or the two ety is relatively closed and conserva-
budget films tackling a genre that, until tionally a peak box-office period in English, noted that Chinese audiences “I think there is a very close connec- “Wolf Warrior” movies, which featured tive,” Liu said in a written response to
now, has been beyond the reach of most China. It is receiving a limited release in have responded coolly to many of Holly- tion between Chinese cinema and the a Rambo-like hero battling Western vil- questions. “There were not the condi-
filmmakers here — technically and fi- the United States, Canada, Australia wood’s previous sci-fi blockbusters. Stu- nation’s fortunes,” said Sha Dan, a cura- lains, “The Wandering Earth” is not tions for science-fiction movies to have
nancially. Those movies include “Shang- and New Zealand. dios, therefore, have been wary of in- tor at the China Film Archive, who mod- jingoistic, though it does star Wu Jing, an impact.”
hai Fortress,” about an alien attack on At home, it is competing with “Crazy vesting the resources required to make erated a discussion with Guo. the hero of the “Wolf Warrior” films, A film project based on Liu’s best-
Earth, and “Pathfinder,” about a Alien,” a comedy inspired by “E.T. the convincing sci-fi. He cited the most popular film in who made his own investment in the known work, the trilogy that began with
spaceship that crashes on a desert plan- Extra-Terrestrial” about two brothers The film’s budget reportedly reached China last year: “Operation Red Sea,” an project. He plays an astronaut aboard “The Three-Body Problem,” was op-
et. hoping to capitalize on the arrival of a nearly $50 million, modest by Holly- action drama loosely based on the Chi- an international space station who has tioned and even filmed in 2015 but has
“Filmmakers in China see science fic- visitor from outer space. wood standards but still significant in nese rescue of several hundred civilians to contend with a HAL-like computer. since languished in postproduction, re-
tion as a holy grail,” said Raymond Zhou, Both “The Wandering Earth” and China. More than 7,000 people were in- from Yemen when war erupted there in Guo said he consciously avoided mak- portedly because of technical chal-
an independent critic, who noted that “Crazy Alien” are adapted from works volved in the production. 2015. ing Wu’s character a do-it-alone super- lenges and costs.
Hollywood had set the technological by Liu Cixin, the writer who has led a Much of it was filmed in the new Ori- “When we have the ability to go to hero. The fight to save Earth is fought The conditions now seem ripe. Seeing
standards, and thus audience expecta- renaissance in science fiction here, be- ental Movie Metropolis, an $8 billion war, we can make movies like ‘Opera- instead by an ensemble, including an af- the “The Wandering Earth” on the
tions, very high. coming the first Chinese winner of the studio in the coast city of Qingdao, built tion Red Sea,’” he said, alluding to Chi- fable Russian cosmonaut who explains screen, Liu said, was “soul shaking.”
“The Wandering Earth,” shown in Hugo Award for the genre in 2015. by the real estate and entertainment gi- na’s military modernization in recent why his country prohibited alcohol in
3-D, takes place in a distant future in His novels are sprawling epics and ant Dalian Wanda. years. “Only when China can enter the space, at least officially. (To say more Claire Fu contributed research.
culture
them.
in his interpretation.” “I had just ended a chapter in my life, view. “We all have stories in our past, no surprise because emotionality and Top, Sara Bareilles in the Broadway show
ADRIAN MATTHEW How it is possible for a teenage boy to and it was rough,” she said. “In that vid- and this song connects to some parts of vulnerability has always been one of “Waitress,” for which she wrote “She
Adrian Matthew, the 14-year-old ninth connect with the life experience de- eo, I wasn’t singing ’cause it was my job, my life.” Sara’s super powers.” Used to Be Mine.” Above, from left, Adri-
grader from Blairsville, Pa., was work- scribed in the song? It’s a question Adri- I was singing my way through heart- Ms. Reche, a painter from southeast- His take is just an excerpt, but for Ms. an Matthew with Ms. Bareilles backstage
ing on the song with his voice teacher an has been thinking about. ache.” ern Spain, wound up becoming the run- Bareilles, it symbolizes something following a performance of the musical
when his mother pulled out her phone “You don’t have to be a middle-aged The clip led to an appearance on Steve ner-up on the show; her version of the about the theater world she long idol- after his version of the song went viral;
and started taping; she put the video on woman who is pregnant and abused — Harvey’s television variety show, fol- song was released in a collection of her ized and is now part of. “I love the gener- Tiffany Mann; Alba Reche; Ben Platt; and
Facebook, and it has now been viewed you can still feel it,” he told me. “The way lowed by a role in “Waitress.” Next up: performances; and she is about to tour osity of someone who is so beloved in Matthew Darren.
more than 3 million times. I relate to it — there’s been school bul- She’s in “Be More Chill,” which starts Spain with her castmates. Among those this community singing a song from a
The video grabbed the attention of the lies, or people making fun of me. I previews on Broadway on Wednesday. who saw her interpretation online was different show,” she said.
“Waitress” alumna Betsy Wolfe, who thought going from middle school to “It’s such an awesome story,” Ms. Ms. Bareilles. the routine of each day is all too famil-
shared it on Twitter. In turn, it im- high school was going to be so easy, and Bareilles said of Ms. Mann. “She’s sing- “I just found her version and couldn’t MATTHEW DARREN iar,” he said. “Getting caught up in the
pressed the actor Zach Braff so much I’d make so many friends, and then you ing, and people are busing tables around take my eyes off her,” she said. “She was Once a month at “Waitress,” there is a unexpected curveballs life throws at us
that he has arranged to pay for Adrian to get there and it’s the opposite. The song her — it’s so indicative of what is beauti- so exposed and so raw.” post-show karaoke night, when audi- is so easy.”
go this summer to Stagedoor Manor, the made me feel that.” ful and unwieldy about New York City, ence members put their names in a tote Ms. Bareilles said Mr. Darren’s ver-
theater camp in the Catskill Mountains where there is all this talent tucked into BEN PLATT bag for a chance to sing a number from sion was a reminder of how the song can
of New York that Mr. Braff attended. In TIFFANY MANN every corner.” Ben Platt, the Tony-winning original the cast album. move beyond its initial confines. “In the
the weeks since, Adrian has seen his Like many New York performers, star of “Dear Evan Hansen,” filmed his The name drawn one night in Septem- life of ‘Waitress,’ people make an as-
first Broadway show, met Ms. Bareilles Tiffany Mann wasn’t making enough ALBA RECHE version of “She Used to Be Mine” in his ber was Matthew Darren, who, it turned sumption that it’s a very feminine show,
and appeared on the “Today” show. money acting, so for four years she had The first time Alba Reche was able to childhood home. It was a tribute, he out, is no stranger to singing in front of and it is, and I love that,” she said. “But
Ms. Bareilles said she had been in a survival job at Ellen’s Stardust Diner, choose her own song on “Operación Tri- said, to Nicolette Robinson, an actress, audiences — he was a contestant on Sea- these themes go so far beyond gender.”
tears watching the video of Adrian sing. the Times Square tourist destination unfo,” a televised singing competition in whose performance in “Waitress” he son 10 of “American Idol,” then using the She added: “It was so unexpected to
“Sometimes with children, we take for where the servers sing. It was there that Spain, she picked “She Used to Be was sorry to miss. name Matthew Darren Nuss. He knew see this powerful, soulful performance
granted that they’re not able to process she performed a version of “She Used to Mine.” “The song is such a beautifully perfect one song from the show — “She Used to come out of this man.”
a certain level of depth, but I think they Be Mine” that a friend recorded and put “It was easy to see myself reflected in meeting of pop and genuine musical the- Be Mine” — and felt it spoke to him.
are,” she said. “I love that he was so free on social media. her words,” she said in a telephone inter- ater,” he explained in an email, “which is “That feeling of having lost myself in Charo Henríquez contributed reporting.
travel
The spirit of Romero’s flesh-eaters The opening of “Night of the Living Dead” was filmed at Evans City Cemetery, above,
and imperfect heroes is what’s fueling near Pittsburgh. Monroeville Mall was the primary location for “Dawn of the Dead.”
Romero Lives!, a new citywide initiative
aimed at celebrating Romero and draw-
ing devotees to Pittsburgh. If a group of bust of Romero at the Monroeville Mall,
te in er
horror-movie fans have their way, Ro- about a 20-minute drive from downtown
ar eth ov
mero will be to Pittsburgh what John Pittsburgh. Made by the local sculptor
r. g
visionary (and offbeat) filmography is a June, the work is perched without much
so uzz
ready has two famous artistic sons, zombie manifesto, “Dawn of the Dead.”
Andy Warhol and August Wilson, who The mall’s parking lot and its signage
are a draw for tourists. Warhol has his remain mostly unchanged, an instantly
own museum, and Wilson is the name- recognizable detail that “Dawn of the
sake of an African-American cultural Dead” fans will eat up on Instagram. An
center. But George Romero? In this am- annual “Dawn of the Dead” fan conven-
bitious and unusual undertaking, organ- tion, which takes place inside the mall,
izers are convinced that the horror- started in 2016.
movie director will have plenty of ap- The other main Romero attraction is
peal for cultural tourists in a city of hills in Evans City, a Pittsburgh suburb about
and often overlooked charms. 30 miles outside downtown, where Ro-
“Pittsburgh can not only own mero filmed “Night of the Living Dead.”
George’s accomplishments and legacy, At the Evans City Cemetery, visitors can
but it can instruct and educate and de- drive on the road and roam among the
light others about that as well,” said stood that real horror is not about zom- tombstones seen in the film’s memora-
Adam Lowenstein, a professor of film bies or vampires, but the fear and hatred bly terrifying opening scene. In the town
studies at the University of Pittsburgh we can feel toward each other, especially center is the small Living Dead Mu-
and a coordinator of Romero Lives! when we imagine each other as mon- seum, featuring props and memorabilia
Romero made maverick movies in sters, as something not quite fully hu- about the film and a zombie culture
and around Pittsburgh for almost 50 man,” he said. “In the wake of Tree of “Maul of Fame.” An annual outdoor fes-
years before he moved to Toronto, Life, Romero has more to teach us than tival celebrating the film takes place
where he died in 2017. Romero most re- ever.” there every October.
flected Pittsburgh in films like “The Cra- Romero Lives! kicked off last fall with There’s no hard data about a rise in
The easiest part of the world’s greatest
zies” and “Martin” with characters that a roster of events, including a retreat for tourism as a result of Romero Lives!, crossword is saving 50%. The challenge
epitomized the city’s working-class pop- authors of zombie fiction and a 50th an- but anecdotally there’s evidence. Sev- is deciding whether to choose today’s
ulation, and through themes — like cor- niversary screening of “Night of the Liv- eral organizations, including the Warhol puzzle, select from our endless archive
porate greed and environmental trauma ing Dead” at the theater where the film Museum and the Carnegie Mellon Inter- or quickly solve a Mini. So subscribe
today, save half and start solving.
— that rattled the region. Romero often had its debut. In December, Romero’s national Film Festival, credited Rome-
cast his movies with locals. legacy was part of a zombie-themed ro-related events for significant upticks
The yearlong series, which will run Christmas attraction at Scarehouse, a in attendance, results that Mr. Lowen-
through October, is underway even as
the city continues to mourn the 11 people
long-running Pittsburgh haunted house.
Still to come are film screenings and ac-
stein hopes will help turn Romero
Lives! into an annual celebration.
Crossword
killed by a gunman shouting anti-Se- ademic forums. The George A. Romero The tactic makes sense: Horror is a Save 50% when you subscribe now.
mitic slurs in October at the Tree of Life Foundation has even started to discuss movie genre with a large and devoted nytimes.com/solvenow
synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighbor- establishing a national horror movie fan base willing to pay for thrills and
hood. Mr. Lowenstein said celebrating museum in Pittsburgh. nostalgia. Horror-movie tourism thrives
Romero in the face of such a real-life The locations that will most appeal to at places like the Stanley Hotel in Col-
atrocity puts into action the “Stronger Romero pilgrims sit far from Pitts- orado, which inspired “The Shining” as
Than Hate” signs that have blanketed burgh’s trendy Lawrenceville and East novel and film, and Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco
the city. Liberty neighborhoods. The real must- in New Jersey, a.k.a. Camp Crystal
“Romero’s films have always under- see is the bronze, intricately sculpted Lake, the setting of “Friday the 13th.”
..
16 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL EDITION
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