2019
July
26
Friday

Monitor Daily Podcast

July 26, 2019
Error loading media: File could not be played
 
00:0000:0000:00
00:00
Laurent Belsie
Senior Economics Writer

Welcome to the Monitor Daily! Today we launch our ocean series, “Peering into the deep”; examine why Puerto Ricans cried, “No más”; and look at the “sober curious” approach to avoiding alcohol, traditional horse racing in South Africa, and Quentin Tarantino’s new film.

But first, startling fact No. 1: Fish chatter – and honk and grunt.

Startling fact No. 2: There are people who study fish sounds.

Earlier this week, Monitor reporters Eva Botkin-Kowacki and Rebecca Asoulin headed to Cotuit, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod to interview Rodney Rountree, one of the world’s few fish listeners.

From 7 to 10 p.m., when the cusk eel chorus was supposed to reach its height, they sat on the town dock with Dr. Rountree, donned earphones attached to a hydrophone, and heard, well, not very much. The eels were unusually silent that night.

“The fish noises that we did hear were largely honks from toadfish,” says Eva, “and some grunts as well.”

“I love diving, being underwater,” says Rebecca, “When you’re down there, you can’t hear because you’re underwater. So that was the first time I heard the ocean in any sort of meaningful way.”

Dr. Rountree records the sounds – he even catches fish and puts them in a miniature kiddie pool, so he can “audition” them. The idea is to connect the sound with the fish so he can pick out mating and distress calls and begin to understand how fish react when disturbed by predators – or humans. Stay tuned for an audio story from that trip in a later installment of our oceans series.

Humans search space for extraterrestrial life, while “we have this alien world right here on Earth, the ocean, particularly the deep sea, that we know so little about,” Eva says. “That’s my main takeaway from [this series]. The more that I learn, the more I realize just how amazingly diverse life, ecosystems, habitats are right here on Earth.”


You've read 3 of 3 free articles. Subscribe to continue.

Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Governor Rosselló’s resignation was about more than a trove of offensive messages. Puerto Ricans were protesting years of mismanagement. But many demonstrators were reclaiming something, too: a sense of their own power.

Peering into the deep

Discovery beneath the waves
Jacob Turcotte/Staff

Humans like to think they have conquered every corner of the planet. But in reality we know little about the world’s largest biome: the ocean. Part 1 of “Peering into the deep,” a five-part series exploring our evolving understanding of life beneath the waves, examines the ocean's "Twilight Zone."

In a culture in which drinking goes largely unquestioned, the sober curious movement is gaining ground and encouraging people to reexamine why we imbibe. 

Christopher Clark
George Gibson readies one of his horses for a race, at his homestead in the rural village of Cebe, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Horse racing has been an integral part of Xhosa culture in this region for more than 200 years.

In the instant that a racehorse thunders by, what do you see? Beauty, talent, cruelty? To many Xhosa men in South Africa, racing is about both tradition and opportunity: a way to follow their fathers’ footsteps, while building a better future.

On Film

Andrew Cooper/Sony-Columbia Pictures/AP
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a fading TV actor in “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.”

The paradox of the Tarantino oeuvre, notes film critic Peter Rainer, is that it is highly derivative of other movies and yet the films seem distinctly his.


The Monitor's View

In an Arab world long on one-man rule but short on peaceful handovers of power after an election, this moment should not go unnoticed: On Thursday, the first freely elected president of Tunisia, Béji Caïd Essebsi, died. On the same day, under a democratic constitution, the head of the legislature temporarily took over the office. Plans to elect a new president are already in motion.

No protests, no gunfire, no military coup.

Tunisia is again a template for other Arab nations in how to avoid the trap of personality-based or militaristic rule and the upheavals they bring. After the 2011 Arab Spring, it was the only Middle East or North African country to topple a dictator and then lock in basic freedoms and fair elections. Now after eight years – a short time to root any new democracy – it has passed a key test by preparing a peaceful transition.

To put some context around this feat, recall that Syria, Libya, and Yemen are in civil wars, Egypt has returned to military dictatorship, and many Arab monarchies still exist. Algeria and Sudan are in difficult transitions from authoritarian rule. Meanwhile Iraq, despite the strong influence of Iran, can claim similar peaceful transitions.  

Since adopting a new constitution in 2014, Tunisia has had successive prime ministers. But a central figure has been President Essebsi, whose political pedigree extends back to the country’s six decades of one-man rule. After being elected in 2014, he stepped up to the task by reducing the power of the Islamist-inspired party Ennahda, and presiding over many reforms, notably for women, as well as helping launch a “war on corruption.” He was called “the father of consensus.”

Yet Tunisia, which was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, may face other tests in the years ahead, perhaps even in how it conducts the coming election. Islamic militants still threaten violence. And the economy has not improved since 2011, lessening popular support for democracy.

Yet it has laid many cornerstones to sustain elected government. Now it is adding another one with a transition to a new president. This will help further cement the idea in the Arab world that a free and equal people can pick their leaders without losing their heritage or culture.


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

When a young woman was faced with a serious and incurable condition, the realization that God did not create disease brought complete and permanent healing.


A message of love

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
It’s called the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” And indeed, the Calgary Stampede, a 10-day rodeo celebrating western agriculture in Canada, is an exuberant competition complemented with cultural events and some of the craziest foods out there (think of a hot dog wrapped in a pickle with a Snickers nestled in it before being fried in a tortilla shell). The Calgary Stampede Showband, a group of youths that performs across the grounds each day, is a heartwarming spectacle that makes even the most urban of visitors sentimental about farm life. The rodeo and chuck wagon races are the signature events, but the latter was marred by tragedy this year when six horses had to be euthanized after being injured during the race. These events attract not only enthusiastic crowds in the stands but also animal rights activists on the sidelines. The Stampede is also considered the political event of the year. Free pancake breakfasts, hosted across this city in Canada’s conservative heartland, are the place for politicians to be seen. Yes, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau makes an appearance, in a cowboy hat of course. As they say in these parts, yahoo! – Sara Miller Llana
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

That’s all for today. Check back Monday when we look at a new generation of rural young people returning to the farm. 

More issues

2019
July
26
Friday
CSM logo

Why is Christian Science in our name?

Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The Christian Science Church, and we’ve always been transparent about that.

The Church publishes the Monitor because it sees good journalism as vital to progress in the world. Since 1908, we’ve aimed “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind,” as our founder, Mary Baker Eddy, put it.

Here, you’ll find award-winning journalism not driven by commercial influences – a news organization that takes seriously its mission to uplift the world by seeking solutions and finding reasons for credible hope.

Explore values journalism About us