Three things for March 24
1. 2020 Olympics postponed due to coronavirus pandemic
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which were originally scheduled to begin on July 24, have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dick Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), gave a statement to USA Today on the current status of the games.
“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Pound says the Games will most likely be pushed back to 2021.
2. Yale offers free ‘happiness’ course online
Amid the coronavirus crisis, Yale University is offering an online “happiness” course for free.
Originally an in-person class titled “Psychology and the Good Life,” course creator Dr. Laurie Santos wanted to give students practical ways of achieving happiness. The class became so popular that in March of 2018, Santos created a shorter version called “The Science of Well-Being” that could be completed for free through the online program Coursera.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, online sign-ups have increased drastically, with 300,000 people signing up for the course in the last two weeks.
“This is a physical health crisis but also a mental health crisis,” Santos said. “People are socially distancing, they are not allowed to do the one main thing they do when things are stressful, which is often go hang out with their friends often in public places.”
Currently, anyone can audit the course for free. There is an option to pay a fee of $49 to receive a certificate upon completing the course.
3. PG&E will plead guilty to several counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2018 wildfires
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) agreed to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter after a fire started from one of the company’s transmission lines in 2018. The fires burned over 150,000 acres of land and destroyed 18,000 buildings.
Although no one from PG&E will go to prison, the company will pay a total of $4 million in fines and fund the restoration of water access for California residents who lost it during the fires.
“We cannot replace all that the fire destroyed, but our hope is that this plea agreement, along with our rebuilding efforts, will help the community move forward from this tragic incident,” said PG&E CEO Bill Johnson.
