Shuttering fossil fuel power plants may cost less than expected

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE GIBSON GENERATING STATION IS A COAL-BURNING POWER PLANT LOCATED IN GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA. view more 

CREDIT: EMILY GRUBERT, GEORGIA TECH

Decarbonizing U.S. electricity production will require both construction of renewable energy sources and retirement of power plants now operated by fossil fuels. A generator-level model described in the December 4 issue of the journal Science suggests that most fossil fuel power plants could complete normal lifespans and still close by 2035 because so many facilities are nearing the end of their operational lives.

Meeting a 2035 deadline for decarbonizing U.S. electricity production, as proposed by the incoming U.S. presidential administration, would eliminate just 15% of the capacity-years left in plants powered by fossil fuels, says the article by Emily Grubert, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher. Plant retirements are already underway, with 126 gigawatts of fossil generator capacity taken out of production between 2009 and 2018, including 33 gigawatts in 2017 and 2018 alone.

"Creating an electricity system that does not contribute to climate change is actually two processes - building carbon-free infrastructure like solar plants, and closing carbon-based infrastructure like coal plants," said Grubert, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "My work shows that because a lot of U.S. fossil fuel plants are already pretty old, the target of decarbonization by 2035 would not require us to shut most of these plants down earlier than their typical lifespans."

Of U.S. fossil fuel-fired generation capacity, 73% (630 out of 840 gigawatts) will reach the end of its typical lifespan by 2035; that percentage would reach 96% by 2050, she says in the Policy Forum article. About 13% of U.S. fossil fuel-fired generation capacity (110 GW) operating in 2018 had already exceeded its typical lifespan.

Because typical lifespans are averages, some generators operate for longer than expected. Allowing facilities to run until they retire is thus likely insufficient for a 2035 decarbonization deadline, the article notes. Closure deadlines that strand assets relative to reasonable lifespan expectations, however, could create financial liability for debts and other costs. The research found that a 2035 deadline for completely retiring fossil-based electricity generators would only strand about 15% (1700 gigawatt-years) of fossil fuel-fired capacity life, along with about 20% (380,000 job-years) of direct power plant and fuel extraction jobs that existed in 2018.

In 2018, fossil fuel facilities operated in 1,248 of 3,141 counties, directly employing about 157,000 people at generators and fuel-extraction facilities. Plant closure deadlines can improve outcomes for workers and host communities by providing additional certainty, for example, by enabling specific advance planning for things like remediation, retraining for displaced workers, and revenue replacements.

"Closing large industrial facilities like power plants can be really disruptive for the people that work there and live in the surrounding communities," Grubert said. "We don't want to repeat the damage we saw with the collapse of the steel industry in the 70s and 80s, where people lost jobs, pensions, and stability without warning. We already know where the plants are, and who might be affected: using the 2035 decarbonization deadline to guide explicit, community grounded planning for what to do next can help, even without a lot of financial support."

Planning ahead will also help avoid creating new capital investment where that may not be needed long-term. "We shouldn't build new fossil fuel power plants that would still be young in 2035, and we need to have explicit plans for closures both to ensure the system keeps working and to limit disruption for host communities," she said.

Underlying policies governing the retirement of fossil fuel-powered facilities is the concept of a "just transition" that ensures material well-being and distributional justice for individuals and communities affected by a transition from fossil to non-fossil electricity systems. Determining which assets are "stranded," or required to close earlier than expected absent policy, is vital for managing compensation for remaining debt and/or lost revenue, Grubert said in the article.

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CITATION: Emily Grubert, "Fossil electricity retirement deadlines for a just transition," (Science, 2020).

 

Researchers create ingredients to produce food by 3D printing

Food engineers in Brazil and France developed gels based on modified starch for use as "ink" to make foods and novel materials by additive manufacturing

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

Research News

 

IMAGE: FOOD ENGINEERS IN BRAZIL AND FRANCE DEVELOPED GELS BASED ON MODIFIED STARCH FOR USE AS "INK " TO MAKE FOODS AND NOVEL MATERIALS BY ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING view more 

CREDIT: BIANCA C. MANIGLIA / USP

It is already possible to produce food with a 3D printer, potentially delivering products that suit consumer preferences regarding taste, texture, cost, convenience, and nutrition. In the near future, it will be possible to produce food with personalized shapes, textures, flavors, and colors considered attractive and healthy for children and the elderly, for example.

A group of researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in France at Nantes Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (Oniris) and the National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), have made strides toward achieving this goal. They are developing hydrogels based on modified starch for use as "ink" in 3D printing of foods.

Recent results of the project, supported by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation), are published in the journal Food Research International. "In the past few years we've developed different technologies to modify starch and obtain gels with ideal characteristics for use as 'ink' to produce food by 3D printing," Pedro Esteves Duarte Augusto, a professor at ESALQ-USP and principal investigator for the project, told Agência FAPESP.

The first gels produced by the researchers were based on cassava starch. They themselves developed the method used to modify the structure and properties of the starch with ozone during a previous project also supported by FAPESP.

They produced ozone by applying an electrical discharge to oxygen, bubbled the gas in a container with a mixture of water and cassava starch in suspension, and dried the mixture by removing the water. The result was modified starch.

By varying aspects of the process such as ozone concentration, temperature, and time, they were able to obtain gels with different properties in terms of the right consistency for use in 3D printing.

"Control of the conditions enabled us to obtain weaker gels for other applications and firmer gels that are ideal for 3D printing because they retain the shape of the printed structure without flowing or losing moisture," Augusto said.

In the past two years, the researchers have developed another starch modification method. This involves dry heating of cassava and wheat starch in an oven while controlling both temperature and time.

Using the new method they were also able to obtain gels based on modified starch that displayed optimal printability, defined as the ability to make a 3D object by additive manufacturing (layer-by-layer deposition) and to maintain its structure once printed. Dry heat treatment also extended the textural possibilities of printed samples based on wheat starch hydrogels.

"We obtained good results with both methods. They're simple, cheap and easy to implement on an industrial scale," Augusto said.

Samples of gel based on cassava and wheat starch were printed at Oniris and INRAE in France via a project to develop functional starch-based gels for 3D printing funded by the Pays de la Loire regional innovation agency under a program called "Food 4 tomorrow".

Through the partnership with French scientists, ESALQ-USP researcher Bianca Chieregato Maniglia conducted postdoctoral research at Oniris and INRAE, applying the ozone and dry heating techniques to produce gels based on modified cassava and wheat starch for 3D printing of foods.

The techniques were developed with the collaboration of other researchers in ESALQ-USP's Process Engineering Research Group (Ge²P).

"The combined experience of all the researchers involved in the project enabled us to obtain gels with better printability, resulting in foods with better shape, definition and texture, which are essential parameters for product acceptability," Maniglia said.

Novel ingredientes

The ESALQ-USP group now plans to study other methods of modification and sources for the production of 3D food printing gels. ESALQ-USP has recently purchased a 3D printer, which they will use to produce the structures developed with the new gels.

The gels based on modified cassava and wheat starch can be used to print other things apart from food, such as biomedical products including drug capsules and nutraceuticals - foods designed not only to nourish but also to confer health benefits.

"We've demonstrated the feasibility of food production by 3D printing and fabrication of tailor-made ingredients. Now we plan to extend the applications and test other raw materials," Augusto said.

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About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at http://www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at http://www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

 

UIC researchers identify new process to produce ammonia with a much smaller carbon footprint

Research published in ACS Catalysis

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

Research News

 

IMAGE: THE ELECTROCHEMICAL REDUCTION OF N2 TO NH3 OFFERS A MEANS FOR STORING SOLAR ENERGY AND DISTRIBUTED PRODUCTION OF FERTILIZERS. THE PICTURE SHOWS CONTINUOUS CAPTURE OF N2 FROM THE AIR AND... view more 

CREDIT: ADITYA PRAJAPATI AND MEENESH SINGH

Ammonia is the second most commonly produced chemical in the world and an important component of most fertilizers, but current industrial processes to make ammonia produce several millions of tons of carbon dioxide-a potent greenhouse gas-each year.

Now, researchers led by Meenesh Singh, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Engineering, describe a new process to produce ammonia with a potentially much lower carbon footprint. They report their findings in the journal ACS Catalysis.

Nitrogen gas is one of the components used to make ammonia, but because nitrogen bonds in nitrogen gas are very stable, a lot of energy is needed to break them so the nitrogen can bind to hydrogen to produce ammonia.

"Current methods to make ammonia from nitrogen are very energy-intensive and require the burning of fossil fuels to generate enormous amounts of heat, and this produces a lot of greenhouse gas as a byproduct," said Singh.

Singh and colleagues have developed a new method to produce ammonia that relies on the use of a mesh screen coated in copper - a catalyst that helps bind nitrogen to hydrogen to make ammonia. The electrification of the screen helps drive the reactions.

Pure nitrogen gas is pushed through the screen and then interacts with water, which provides the hydrogen. Even though Singh's process uses similar amounts of energy compared to the traditional process, it requires far less fossil fuels than traditional methods - just enough to electrify the screen. "The electricity can come from solar or wind energy, which would really make a huge difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Singh. "Even modern electricity-generating powerplants are highly efficient, and if the grid is powered conventionally, our process still uses less fossil fuels and generates less harmful greenhouse gases than conventional ammonia production."

Currently, Singh's process produces 20% ammonia and 80 percent hydrogen gas. "We are hoping to increase the production of ammonia, but our early efforts so far are promising, and the savings in the carbon emissions are still significant if you were to scale up our process to produce large amounts of ammonia," Singh said.

A provisional patent for the new process has been filed by the UIC Office of Technology Management.

Singh's group is now looking at using air - instead of purified nitrogen gas - as a source of nitrogen for producing ammonia using their unique method. "Using air would give us even more savings when it comes to greenhouse gases because we're using readily available air instead of nitrogen gas, which needs to be purified and bottled."

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Nishithan C. Kani and Aditya Prajapati of the University of Illinois at Chicago and Brianna Collins and Jason Goodpaster of the University of Minnesota are co-authors on the paper.

Harry Styles Mocks Candace Owens’ ‘Bring Back Manly Men’ ‘Vogue’ Comments, Talks Challenging Traditional Gender Boundaries Through Fashion

Harry Styles discusses his love of fashion, quarantine, Black Lives Matter, and more in a new interview with Variety

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© Credit: Parker Woods/Variety

Styles, who is the publication's 2020 Hitmaker of the Year, says of challenging traditional gender boundaries through fashion: “To not wear [something] because it’s females’ clothing, you shut off a whole world of great clothes. And I think what’s exciting about right now is you can wear what you like. It doesn’t have to be X or Y. Those lines are becoming more and more blurred.”

The musician recently hit headlines after right-wing commentator Candace Owens slammed him for wearing a dress and feminine garments for his Vogue cover shoot.

Styles appeared to mock Owens' "bring back manly men" remarks as he shared a snap from the Variety shoot of himself eating a banana alongside that same caption.

Candace Owens

@RealCandaceO

There is no society that can survive without strong men. The East knows this. In the west, the steady feminization of our men at the same time that Marxism is being taught to our children is not a coincidence. It is an outright attack. Bring back manly men.

Vogue Magazine

@voguemagazine

"There’s so much joy to be had in playing with clothes. I’ve never thought too much about what it means—it just becomes this extended part of creating something.": Read our full December cover story starring @Harry_Styles here: http://vogue.cm/Pdns6GQ

12:16 PM · Nov 14, 2020

RELATED: Harry Styles Talks Black Lives Matter And Removing Barriers & Labels In ‘Vogue’ Interview

Styles talks about his self-reflection during COVID quarantine, telling the mag: “It’s been a pause that I don’t know if I would have otherwise taken. I think it’s been pretty good for me to have a kind of stop, to look and think about what it actually means to be an artist, what it means to do what we do and why we do it. I lean into moments like this — moments of uncertainty.”

He then discusses his decision to speak out publicly following the killing of George Floyd: “Talking about race can be really uncomfortable for everyone. I had a realization that my own comfort in the conversation has nothing to do with the problem — like, that’s not enough of a reason to not have a conversation.

"Looking back, I don’t think I’ve been outspoken enough in the past. Using that feeling has pushed me forward to being open and ready to learn. How can I ensure from my side that in 20 years, the right things are still being done and the right people are getting the right opportunities? That it’s not a passing thing?”

Styles recently nabbed a string of 2021 Grammy nominations for his 2019 album Fine Line, telling Variety: “It’s always nice to know that people like what you’re doing, but ultimately — and especially working in a subjective field — I don’t put too much weight on that stuff. I think it’s important when making any kind of art to remove the ego from it.”

Citing the painter Matisse, he adds: “It’s about the work that you do when you’re not expecting any applause.”

In race to cement legacy, Trump pushes dozens of 'midnight regulations'

As President Donald Trump keeps a lower profile during his final weeks in office, behind the scenes the administration is racing to solidify his legacy, fulfill campaign promises and overhaul federal regulations that could take President-elect Joe Biden years to undo.

© Evan Vucci/AP President Donald Trump signs an executive order on protecting Florida coastline from offshore drilling after delivering remarks on the environment at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum, Sept. 8, 2020, in Jupiter, Fla.

"I think that there will be a lot of things happening between now and the 20th of January, a lot of things," Trump asserted in an Oval Office appearance on Thanksgiving.

From immigration to environmental protections, the Trump administration is quietly pushing to finalize more than three dozen rule changes that could have significant impact for years.

"We call them 'midnight regulations.' It's the last chance to put these rules on the books before the Trump administration changes to the Biden administration," said ProPublica investigative reporter Isaac Arnsdorf who has created an online database tracking the pending regulations for the nonprofit news site. "They can be reversed, but not easily."MORE: Tracking the Trump Administration's "Midnight Regulations"

They include religious exemptions for federal contractors under employment discrimination laws; looser water efficiency standards for shower heads and washing machines; and stricter eligibility for food stamps, even as millions out of work in the pandemic look to the government for help

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© Jenny Kane/AP Water flows from a shower head, Aug. 12, 2020, in Portland, Ore. The Trump Administration wants to change the definition of a showerhead to let more water flow.

"The final days of an administration are obviously hugely important, and it's just natural to want to get things done," said Carol Browner, former EPA administrator during all eight years of the Clinton administration and also a former member of President Barack Obama's transition team and first climate czar.

"But you're not free to just do it willy nilly. There's the law, there's the science, there's the process," Browner said.

Experts said the raw number of 11th-hour regulatory changes appears, so far, to be on par with what occurred during the final weeks of the Obama administration. But some policy advocates and independent watchdogs worry the rushed process will compromise legality and public safety.

Many of the most significant last-minute regulations are focused on environmental and scientific policy, including a controversial effort to ban EPA use of any scientific study that doesn't fully disclose all of the underlying raw data. Its defenders call it a step toward transparency, while critics call it censorship.

Studies on the impact of pollution on human life, for example, often rely on sensitive personal medical data, which patients don't want publicly disclosed.

© Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images President-elect Barack Obama listens while Carol Browner speaks at a press conference in Chicago, Dec. 15, 2008.

"You will simply not get the quality of science that EPA needs to make decisions, and this is a very, very intentional move on their part, on behalf of polluters, which is to limit the science and therefore limit the ability of EPA to make the smartest decision," said Browner.MORE: Greenland's largest glaciers could lose more ice than previously predicted if emissions continue as 'business as usual'

The Trump administration is also racing to auction off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- a move strongly opposed by Biden -- with an aim of making it much more difficult for the next administration to turn back from expanded oil and gas development.

"The degree to which the leases have been entered into you might have to buy them back," said Browner. "But hopefully the reality is we can continue to protect these areas that have been protected for hundreds of years now.

The president is also attempting to further cement his crackdown on immigration. In his final weeks, he's added eight new questions to the citizenship test and tried to make it harder for high-skilled foreign workers to get visas.

"In this last-minute rush before the inauguration the Trump administration is doing everything they can to bring legal immigration closer and closer to the bare minimum," said Ali Noorani, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan advocacy group. "It is ramping up enforcement actions, and really trying to do everything they can to finish checking those boxes and make it as hard as possible for the Biden administration to rebuild the nation's immigration system."

© Carlos Osorio/AP

 A citizenship test kiosk is displayed at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Mich., March 9, 2012.

On foreign policy, Trump is abruptly and sharply reducing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, with no more than 2,500 American service members expected in each country by the end of the year. While the pullout was a key 2016 campaign promise, experts said the late move puts Biden in the difficult spot of needing to decide whether to redeploy troops back into theater early in his first term.

Outgoing former President George W. Bush, in a similar situation, notably deferred to his successor, Obama, in late 2008 on whether to approve a troop surge in Afghanistan

Trump has also taken steps to formally shut the door on a two-decade-old treaty he has long criticized, pulling out of the "Open Skies Treaty" last month which had allowed U.S. and Russia to conduct mutual surveillance flights to build trust. Critics say the move is a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Russia didn't adhere to the treaty, so until they adhere, we will pull out," Trump said in May.

"The problem is if we don't abide by our own treaties, if we don't recognize and support our own treaties, then who in the international community is going to want to partner with us in the future?" said retired Adm. Bill McCraven, who oversaw the raid to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Some of Trump's final executive actions will have permanent impact.

The Justice Department is rushing to execute as many federal death row inmates as possible before Biden has a chance to reimpose a death penalty moratorium.

© Michael Conroy/AP, FILE 

The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 28, 2020.

Eight federal inmates have been executed so far this year -- the most in more than a century -- with five more slated for death before Inauguration Day next month.

"The pace of these federal executions has no historical precedent," said Robert Dunham, executive director of the independent, nonpartisan Death Penalty Information Center. "The last time more than one person was executed during a transition period takes us back to Grover Cleveland's first presidency in the end of the 1880s."

The Trump administration, in a late-term rule change, is also giving executioners greater flexibility in how they kill.

"The regulation will allow them, without challenge, to use whatever method of lethal injection that it wants to use," Dunham said.

Meanwhile, Trump continues with a record number of lifetime appointments to federal courts, breaking with 123 years of precedent by pursuing Senate confirmation of even more judges after losing reelection.

"Generally once an election occurs, confirmations stop until the next Congress," said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, an independent judicial watchdog. "It's hard to know the impact right now exactly that these Trump-appointed judges will have, but we know it's going to be big, it's going to be huge, it's going to be generational."

© Jonathan Ernst/Reuters 

Judge Amy Coney Barrett is sworn in to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as her husband Jesse Barrett and President Donald Trump watch on the South Lawn of the White House, Oct. 26, 2020.

Some of Trump's final acts face challenges in court, and if Democrats win control of the Senate, there could be fast-track repeals of recently finalized regulations. But experts say most of the policy changes won't be easily undone.

"You have to go through the whole rule-making process all over again, which takes multiple years and a lot of resources and is cumbersome by design," said Arnsdorf.

The process is a reminder that the power of the presidency can make a lasting impact on America up to the very last minute of a White House transition.

Egyptian model arrested over photo shoot at ancient pyramid

Cairo — Egyptian model Salma El-Shimy was arrested on Monday over a photo session in Saqqara, a prominent archaeological site in the city of Giza. El-Shimy, 26, posed for a collection of photos in a dress modeled on ancient Egyptian clothing. The outfit was deemed "inappropriate" by officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. © Salma El-Shimy/Facebook and ‌‌🇭‌🇴‌🇸‌🇸‌🇦‌🇲 ‌🇲‌🇺‌🇭‌🇦‌🇲‌🇪‌🇪‌🇩 salma-el-shimy-egypt.jpg

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, referred the incident to public prosecutors for investigation, the ministry confirmed in a statement. It quoted Waziri as warning that, "anyone who shows negligence when it comes to antiquities or our unique Egyptian civilization will be punished."

© Provided by CBS News

 Model Salma El-Shimy poses at the archaeological site of Saqqara, in Giza, Egypt, during a shoot with photographer Hossam Muhameed. Both were arrested and have been charged with photography without a permit for the shoot, which sparked a huge backlash in Egypt.

 / Credit: Salma El-Shimy/Facebook/Hossam Muhameed

Two of the ministry's employees and four security personnel who work at the location were also referred to prosecutors for administrative investigation, Sabry Farag, director of the Saqqara antiquities site, told CBS News. Farag denied reports that those six individuals were also arrested.

Anyone who wants to carry out a photo or video shoot for commercial purposes at one of Egypt's archaeological sites must obtain a permit from the ministry.

El-Shimy's photographer, 22-year-old Hossam Muhammed, told a local newspaper that he and his subject reached an "agreement" with staff at the site to shoot photos around the Pyramid of Djoser for about 15 minutes. The pyramid dates to the 27th century BC.

Muhammed was also arrested later Monday evening.

El-Shimy referred to herself as Queen "Malban-titi" for the photo shoot, a name combing references to the sweet treat Turkish delight, "Malban," and ancient Egypt's Queen Nefertiti.

The photos went viral and revived a heated debate about the difference between breaking social norms and breaking the law.

One lawyer filed suit, accusing El-Shimy of "the distortion of civilization and insulting the great Pharaonic history." A member of Egypt's parliament called for El-Shimy to face the "severest punishments."

Under Egypt's justice system any individual can file a lawsuit against anyone for any reason, but it's up to the public prosecutor to decide whether there's a valid case and then bring formal charges.

Hyperbole aside, the public prosecutor ordered the release of both El-Shimy and her photographer on Tuesday evening on bail of 500LE each (about $32), pending a full investigation. They are facing formal charges of photography without a permit, according to local news outlets, but no charges related to indecency or anything else stemming from the claims of impropriety.

Mohamed told local press he was surprised by the huge reaction, insisted he did nothing wrong and was just trying to earn a living. He said he was paid 1000LE (about $65) for the shoot, and if he had known it would turn into such a scandal, he would have declined the job.

He also said he believed that if the model involved had a different body type, none of this would have happened.

Despite the outrage from some corners, other Egyptians rallied to defend El-Shimy's right to wear whatever she wants and criticized the tourism ministry's actions, suggesting the prosecution would only bring bad publicity for Egypt.

Just two weeks ago Saqqara was in the news for the landmark archaeological discovery of about 100 sealed coffins containing mummified bodies.

Born in Vancouver in 1916, Fred Ko becomes one of the pandemic's oldest victims

Eva Uguen-Csenge CBC

© Submitted Fred Ko died in Richmond Hospital of COVID-19 on Nov. 28, 2020. 

He was born in Vancouver in 1916.

Born in a church manse on Vancouver's Beatty Street on March 28, 1916, Fred Ko's long life was defined by quiet fortitude and his connections to the people and places around him.

Ko died in Richmond Hospital on Saturday from COVID-19. At 104 years old, he is one of the oldest Canadian victims of the pandemic.

"He was just a super-optimistic, very gentle soul," said his daughter Alison Ko, who lives in Kimberley, B.C. "Everybody calls him the Buddha."

Fred Ko had two daughters, a son and two grandsons, but Alison says he was a grandfather to many more.

"He's the grandpa to all [my sons'] friends and all my friends."

She recalls a time her father's generosity and patience stood out when Alison and her sister, Catherine, returned home late from a party.

"He would be sitting up in the kitchen reading and we'd walk in the door and he would just go, 'Tsk tsk tsk,' and not say a word, close his magazine and walk up the stairs." 

© Submitted by Kalum Ko Fred Ko as photographed by his grandson. Ko died in a Richmond, B.C., hospital on Nov. 28, 2020 after contracting COVID-19. At 104 years old, he is one of the oldest Canadians to die of the disease.

Advocate for Chinese Canadians

Fred Ko was the third child born to Chinese Canadian parents in Vancouver. The family started out with a printing press that produced the first Chinese telephone book, and later opened gift shops in Toronto and Vancouver.

While her father was humble, Alison Ko says he sometimes gave hints of the influence he had on the Chinese community.

Her cousins told stories of hanging out at his store and seeing members of parliament stop by to see Fred.

Once, at a family gathering, he let slip that he had negotiated with former prime minister John Diefenbaker over immigration rights.

"But he just looked like the guy who sat at a coffee shop," Alison Ko said.

She says her father never spoke about experiencing racism until the recent Black Lives Matter protests.

"He was like, 'Oh, yeah, we went through hard times, too,' but growing up we had no idea about the challenges that they would have had because of racism."
'It was so fast'

The pandemic was hard on Fred Ko. His daughter says his usual routine of getting up early to go for walks around the malls ended and he lost much of his physical strength.

"And then he lost a lot of kind of that spark," said Alison Ko. "He would tell me that, 'I hear the words and I know them, but I don't understand them.'"

Ko had been living in Richmond with Catherine for the last 10 years before contracting the virus last month from someone who lived in the same building.

Alison Ko says her father's passing still feels surreal, despite his age.

"It's not really a surprise that at 104 life was going to come to an end, but we just didn't think he would," she said. "And all our relatives and our families just thought Fred will get through this. But it was so fast."

Once Ko was hospitalized, his three children and two grandchildren were only able to communicate with him by video calls.

That's how they said goodbye as he died on Nov. 28.

"We sat staring at a screen, watching him take his last breath and I didn't even believe it."

Fred Ko's death has made his family reflect even more on their own vulnerabilities to the virus. Alison, who has a background in nursing and works on the opioid crisis, says it hit her when she was called to the front line to respond to an overdose earlier this week.

Despite the toll the pandemic restrictions took on him, she says her father never complained.

"He was of the generation that knew that he needed to put everybody else like the community's needs first."

Barack Obama Says DNC Should Give Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a Bigger Platform as Feud Between Progressives and Centrists Grows

  

© Drew Angerer/Getty 

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters on November 19, 2020 in Washington, DC. 

Former President Barack Obama called on the Democratic National Committee to give a bigger platform to progressives as they continue to butt heads with the party's centrist members.

"One thing I will say about the Democratic Party is that promoting young people is really important. We stick so long with the same old folks and don't make room for new voices," Obama said in an interview with Peter Hamby on Snapchat's Good Luck America.

Obama also acknowledge the party's controversial decision to allot Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez only 60 seconds at this summer's national convention, while handing out significantly more television time to former Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich and businessman and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"The Democratic National Convention, I thought, was really successful considering the pandemic but, you know, the fact that an AOC only got, what? Three minutes or five minutes? When she speaks to a broad section of young people who are interested in what she has to say, even if they don't agree with everything she says," Obama said.

"You give her a platform, just like there may be some other young Democrats who come from more conservative areas who have a different point of view. But new blood is always good," he continued.

His comments come as conflict between the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and more centrists Democrats have widened following the November 3 election.

Last month, establishment Democrats were heard on a leaked caucus call blaming more progressive lawmakers, particularly Ocasio-Cortez and the so-called Squad, for costing Democrats seats with messaging like defund the police.

Senator Joe Manchin, a moderate Democrat, drew criticisms from the young congresswoman and others after tweeting, "Defund the police? Defund my butt."

In an interview with The New York Times, Manchin suggested Ocasio-Cortez is "more active on Twitter than anything else," including legislating in Congress.

"We're not going to defund the police, we're not for the new green deal. That's not going to happen. We're not for Medicare for All—we can't even pay for Medicare for some," the senator added.

However, many were quick to note that Manchin missed more votes than Ocasio-Cortez in 2019 and that she co-sponsored 130 more bills than he did in the same legislative period.

Ocasio-Cortez fired back at Manchin on Tuesday, tweeting, "I find it amusing when politicians try to diminish the seriousness of our policy work, movement organizing & grassroots fundraising to 'she just tweets,' as though 'serious' politics is only done by begging corporate CEOs for money through wax-sealed envelopes delivered by raven." 

A H/T TO BALTIMORE AND IT'S POET SON

Watch: AOC Backs Sanders In Short But Powerful DNC 2020 Speech

Despite Obama's push for newer voices within the party, the former president advised younger Democrats to steer clear of such "snappy slogans" which can cost them "a big audience the minute you say it."

"If you instead say, 'Let's reform the police department so that everybody's being treated fairly, you know, divert young people from getting into crime, and if there was a homeless guy, can maybe we send a mental health worker there instead of an armed unit that could end up resulting in a tragedy?' Suddenly, a whole bunch of folks who might not otherwise listen to you are listening to you," Obama said.

"The key is deciding: Do you actually want to get something done? Or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?" he added.

Newsweek reached out to the offices of Manchin and Ocasio-Cortez for comment but did not hear back from either in time for publication.

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