2019
October
23
Wednesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

October 23, 2019
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Kim Campbell
Culture & Education Editor

Welcome to the Daily. Today our offerings explore the erosion of trust in Hong Kong, the perseverance of a long-shot Democratic presidential hopeful, the enigmas of Putin’s Russia, the buoyancy of an all-women’s rug market in Morocco, and the growth of multicultural churches in the U.S.

But first, could a hug change the narrative on school shootings?

Footage of coach Keanon Lowe disarming a Portland, Oregon, student who reportedly planned to take his own life was shared widely over the weekend after it was first released. The security video, from Parkrose High School in May, shows Mr. Lowe handing off the shotgun and then hugging the student tightly.

“I felt compassion for him. A lot of times, especially when you’re young, you don’t realize what you’re doing until it’s over,” he said in an interview in May. “My message to staff members or people that work in schools is, ‘Love your kids.’”

Not everyone agrees that educators should be put in this position, but Mr. Lowe’s action chips away at fear that nothing can be done. Hope and vigilance need to go hand in hand, though, as another shooting yesterday near a school in California suggests.

Still, narrative-changers are emerging. Psychologist Melissa Reeves told Politico this week that rather than simulating danger – like firing blanks, as one school’s active shooter drill did – focus should be on talking with students about safety.

The team behind the 2019 documentary “After Parkland,” about that Florida community’s grieving process, also wants to influence discourse. Next month at the Denver Film Festival a panel will address this question: Can films that deal with school shootings really make a difference?

Perhaps the answer lies in the embrace of a viral video.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

A deeper look

Tyrone Siu/Reuters
An anti-government protester holds a tear gas canister during a protest in Hong Kong on Oct. 20, 2019.

A deeper look

Christa Case Bryant/The Christian Science Monitor
Adm. Joe Sestak confers with his policy director, Nate Kleinman, in the early morning on Oct. 15, 2019, already several hours into a long day of events across New Hampshire. Perhaps the longest of long shots in a crowded Democratic field, Admiral Sestak is doggedly forging ahead with his presidential bid, and says he's overcome steep odds before.

Listen

Who is Putin? Even to Russians, a mystery

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Taylor Luck
Fatima Rifiya (left), a veteran carpet seller, bargains with a customer over a Berber rug at her stand at the zarabi souk in Khemisset, Morocco, Oct. 15, 2019.
Jacob Turcotte/Staff

The Monitor's View

AP
Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, right, and North Macedonia Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, second from right, look at police officers from their two countries work together at a joint border crossing.

A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

A message of love

Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters
On Oct. 23, 2019, a Valparaiso demonstrator rallies in Chile, the latest Latin American country to erupt in protest. Demonstrations began after a subway fare increase earlier this month, but turned into massive rallies as Chileans expressed anger over growing inequality and the rising cost of living.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte and Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow: Recent photos from NASA got us thinking about black holes and if they are really holes, or black. We’ll have answers for you in Thursday’s Daily.

More issues

2019
October
23
Wednesday
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