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Cursive Makes Comeback in California Classrooms; Evergrande, Symbol of China`s Property Crisis, Heads to Liquidation; Truffle Hunting in Italy. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired January 30, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, sunshine. I`m Coy Wire. This is CNN 10. Enjoying our time here in Detroit, Michigan. The statue you see behind me
is called the Spirit of Detroit. In 1955, Marshall Fredericks was commissioned to create this monument, a man holding a family and a golden
orb. The bronze was cast in Oslo, Norway, making it all the way here, where it represents hope and progress for Detroit to this day, currently wearing
Lions jersey honoring the football team`s inspiring run.
Now, for our lead story of the day, as LL Cool J would say, "Don`t call it a comeback, I been here for years." Cursive handwriting, it`s a style of
writing. A lot of schools in the U.S. don`t teach anymore. In 2010, it was left out of the national common core education and standards, which are a
set of learning goals that help teachers prepare students for college and future careers.
Cursive appears to be making a comeback though, just this month, California requires students in grades one through six to learn the writing style. It
is the 23rd state to currently mandate that cursive handwriting be taught in schools. And it`s the 10th state to do so since 2016, according to the
website, my cursive.com. There are five additional states considering similar laws.
Now, in an age of computer programming and digital communication, why is this classic writing style making a return? Well, educators in favor of
teaching it say it helps reading comprehension, find motor skills and allow students to read historical documents in their original form.
We turn now to China where a crumbling companies empire saga is now complete. Real estate developer, Evergrande, has the biggest debt of any
other competitor in the world. It became a symbol of China`s property crisis after it defaulted on its debt in 2021, that means the company
officially declared, it was unable to pay back the money it owed. Over $333 billion to be precise. And now a court in Hong Kong has ordered the company
to liquidate or sell everything it owns.
Over the past few years, what was happening with Evergrande had an impact on China`s domestic and international stock markets. For more, here`s our
very own KRISTIE Lu Stout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, ANCHOR & CNN CORRESPONDENT: Evergrande, the world`s most indebted developer is heading to liquidation. On Monday, a judge here in
Hong Kong ruled to liquidate the Chinese company after years of failed attempts to restructure it. A Hong Kong judge, Linda Chan, she said, quote,
"It is time for the court to say enough is enough." Before the hearing, Evergrande shares are trading down as much as 20%. Trading was halted in
China Evergrande and its list of subsidiaries.
For years now ever, Evergrande has been the poster child of China`s property debt crisis. It is the world`s most indebted property developer
with more than $328 billion of liabilities and $240 billion of assets. And last year in September, it`s Founder and Chairman, Xu Jiayin, was suspected
of crimes and detained by the police. Analysts say that the decision to liquidate this company is good news for China`s economy in the long run,
but it will be painful.
Now, according to Andrew Collier of Orient Capital Research, he says this, quote, "Evergrande`s liquidation is a sign that China is willing to go to
extreme ends to quell the property bubble. This is good for the economy in the long term, but very difficult in the short term," unquote.
Now Gary Ng, a Senior Economist of Natixis adds this, "It is not an end but the beginning of the prolonged process of liquidation, which will make
Evergrande`s daily operations even harder. Investors will be concerned about whether there will be a snowball effect on other developers as the
queue to liquidation is long," unquote.
In 2021, Evergrande triggered a market panic when it couldn`t make its debt payments. And China`s real estate market has yet to recover, it accounts
for as much as 30% of the country`s economic activity. And more than two- thirds of Chinese household wealth is tied up in real estate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Pop quiz hot shot.
Which of these famous paintings became a household name after it was stolen from the Louvre in the early 1900S?
Van Gogh`s "The Starry Night," Vermeer`s "Girl with a Pearl Earring," Botticelli`s "The birth of Venus," or Da Vinci`s "Mona Lisa."
Mona Lisa, ding, ding, an Italian handyman stolen from the French Museum in 1911. Newspapers around the world published pictures of it and a two-year
police hunt for the now famous painting ensued.
Question for you, what`s more important art or the right to eat healthy, sustainable food? That`s a question environmental activists in Paris posed
after they threw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa, one of the most famous paintings in the world.
Here`s CNN`s Michael Holmes with more details on what happened at the Louvre Museum and the methods some folks used to bring attention to a
cause.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The crowd gasps as two activists throw soup at one of the most famous works of art in the world. But it
would be the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th Century, who would have the last laugh.
Her mysterious untouched by the stunt --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to close the room.
HOLMES (voice-over): -- safe behind a shield of protective armored glass as security ushered people out of the room, the vandals obscured behind
barriers.
Their protest for healthy and sustainable food leaving a bad taste in the mouths of many visitors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s disgusting to treat art that`s really valuable for the history of humankind that way.
HOLMES (voice-over): Museums around the world are on guard after a series of similar attacks on famous works of art, whether its throwing soup at a
Van Gogh; smearing paint on the casing of the Degas sculpture; or hurling oil at a painting by Gustav Klimt.
It`s all for shock value: a tactic used by climate or anti-oil groups to get attention. But to many people, it`s a baffling, if not infuriating
disruption.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I really don`t see the link. I`m not shocked for the Mona Lisa. I`m not worried for her, because she`s
ultra-protected. But then I don`t see the link with food, other than the fact that the Mona Lisa is internationally recognized. So we`ll definitely
hear about this.
HOLMES (voice-over): The Mona Lisa has survived the centuries. It`s been stolen, attacked with acid, had objects thrown at it. So a dowsing of soup
and a canned message by activists only puts the spotlight back on it.
A masterclass in capturing the public`s attention, something with which no gimmick or cheap trick can compare.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, edible fungus, expensive fungus truffles the culinary delicacy that grows underground can cost thousands of
dollars per pound. They need perfect conditions to grow. And sleuthy detective like methods to procure them.
Let`s join CNN`s Richard Quest who`s on a quest to forage for truffles in Puglia, a region known as the Bread Basket of Italy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: The hunt is on, and they`re off. The dogs have got the scent. There are truffles to be found.
We have dogs. We have wicked looking implement. They`re starting to find truffles.
I`m in a forest in Southern Italy. The forest location is sort of a secret and it`s raining.
GIUSEPPE LOLLI, TRUFFLE EXPERT: (Speaking in foreign language).
QUEST: How`d you train them?
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
QUEST: Giuseppe Lolli guards his secrets.
LOLLI: (Speaking in foreign language).
QUEST: But I thought truffle hunting used pigs.
LOLLI: No dogs. Pig is a (foreign language).
QUEST: Yes, you have -- the pigs eat them. They find them and eat them.
LOLLI: (Speaking in foreign language).
QUEST: Before I can even gather myself, the dogs have sniffed out a target.
Oh, stop it. Wow. Oh, oh, you just -- look at your pants. They`ll teach you to wear beige pants.
You have to be prepared to get messy if you want to find these jewels. Truffles are essentially underground mushrooms.
LOLLI: (Speaking in foreign language).
QUEST: And look, you know he`s getting a prize and there he is. He`s got a truffle things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He look so proud. It`s like, you almost dug it up yourself, but it definitely wasn`t you that did.
QUEST: That all happened so fast. Whoa, whoa, whoa, rough, again.
A ripen truffle gives off a distinct scent that the dogs can track.
Just see the excitement of the dogs and the whole businesses or something there.
Yeah, Look at that. I`m fooling even more in love with truffles. Now I see what you have to do to find them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just search, here you
go. Two for me, one for you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: All right. All my fun guy and fun gals. Tomorrow`s #YourWordWednesday. Follow me @coywire on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok,
drop your unique vocabulary word in the comment section on my most recent post, along with your school and teacher`s name. Let`s see if your word
helps us write tomorrow`s show and boosts our vocabulary.
Shout out time now. This shout out goes to the roaring Tigers at Oregon Trial Middle School in the City of Olathe, Kansas, rise up.
And this shout out goes to, Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Illinois, keep shining lovely people, much love, many blessings to you. We
appreciate each and every one of you. We`re going to see you tomorrow right here on CNN 10.
END
