Coal Mining Accidents Tests China’s Control of Its Cheapest Fuel

Bloomberg News Fri., December 11, 2020



(Bloomberg) -- At China’s biggest coal event in the mining hub of Shanxi, the industry’s top executives signed deals over three days for more coal than other nations typically use in a year.

But the bustling deal-making signals deeper problems in a market vital to the smooth-running of the world’s second-biggest economy. A series of deadly mining accidents has hit output, while self-imposed import restrictions -- including on key supplier Australia -- limit shipments from overseas.

The result is a supply crunch at a time when winter demand for heating is peaking and industrial activity is surging. The price of coal used in power plants has soared far beyond the government’s tolerance levels to record levels. The market for coking coal used by the steel industry isn’t far behind.

Even as China’s climate ambitions drive an eventual break with coal, the highly polluting fuel remains critical to powering its cities and factories, and the effort to revive growth after the pandemic. It provides half the country’s energy needs at an unmatchable price. Beijing’s response to the fatalities -- shutting mines and demanding more stringent safety inspections -- may benefit producers via higher prices, but it piles on the costs for utilities and China’s vast industrial base.

“Coal prices will remain high in the near term,” said Dennis Ip, an analyst with Daiwa Capital Markets. “This winter is expected to be a cold one and year-end stocking demand is increasing, so coal demand will likely be strong, while coal supply remains restrained as safety checks have strengthened due to coal mine accidents along with the continued ban on Australian coal.”

Mining Deaths

The industry has dramatically improved safety in recent years, with annual deaths falling from the thousands to the low hundreds. But fatalities have ticked-up slightly in 2020, and regulators are particularly concerned about a spate of accidents beginning in late September, when 16 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a mine in Chongqing.

Two more fatal accidents in the southwestern city in late November prompted the authorities to shut down all its mines. Output elsewhere has been crimped by increased inspections, which require suspending operations.

The accidents have exposed illegal production, weak safety and inadequate supervision, a government official told the Shanxi trade fair. And the pandemic could be partly at fault, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michelle Leung, as smaller miners may have taken short-cuts to recover lost output after lockdown measures forced temporary shutdowns for lack of workers.

Those suspensions caused imports to surge in the early months of the year as power plants sought alternatives. Once domestic production had rebounded, the government reversed course by drastically curbing overseas supplies. On top of that, Beijing has responded to souring diplomatic relations with Australia by stranding millions of tons of its coal on ships off Chinese ports.

“Because of the deteriorating relationship between China and Australia, imports won’t be able to relieve the supply tightness this year,” Ip said.

Supply Hits

The hits to supply are coming at the beginning of what’s expected to be a chillier-than-usual winter because of the La Nina weather pattern. Demand for coal is rising as power plants try to stock up in anticipation of extra heating needs, said Jennifer Song, a Shenzhen-based analyst with Morningstar.

And that seasonal shift has been accompanied by a broader rebound in electricity consumption as China’s industrial sector completes a V-shaped recovery from the pandemic, which is “the primary reason driving strong coal demand,” Song said.

The Chinese government likes its coal market just as Goldilocks liked her porridge -- neither too hot nor too cold. It means keeping prices in a band known as the green zone that allows miners to make money without impinging on profits at power plants. But the current rally has busted the upper limit, and officials are starting to take action.

Price-reporting agencies last week suspended publication of some widely used indexes. That’s happened before when green zone limits have been breached, and the market typically takes it as a sign of Beijing’s displeasure.

The green zone band is typically between 500 and 570 yuan ($76 to $87) a ton, but spot prices are now well above 600 yuan and bids are closer to 700, according to analysts. Thermal coal futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange closed 1.1% lower Friday at 744.6 yuan a ton, and traded at about $34 a ton more than Australian supplies.

Runaway Prices

More consequentially, China’s top economic planning agency is looking at longer term fixes. Those include hastening so-called supply-side reforms that would concentrate the sprawling industry around larger, safer and more efficient producers, building more coal reserves, and promoting longer-dated supply deals to smooth price volatility.

Such contracts for 740 million tons were announced on the first day of the Shanxi trade fair. India, the world’s second-biggest consumer, uses about 585 million tons in a year. So far, though, such efforts haven’t been enough to stop the runaway rise in prices. “The government did take some actions, but the actions haven’t helped,” Song said.

The longer term outlook is much more bearish as the government champions renewable energy to meet its climate pledge of net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. While that’s helped drive the cost of wind and solar power to levels near that of coal, China is still building new coal power plants to ensure it can meet rising power demand.

As for coal prices, most analysts expect they will remain elevated at least through mid-February, as the cold weather and the need to stockpile before the Lunar New Year holiday will continue to stoke demand. “The weather is going to stay cold, and supplies are going to stay tight,” said Bloomberg Intelligence’s Leung.

(Updates price in 15th paragraph)

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©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

CANADA'S OTHER NATURAL RESOURCE EXPORT

Maple syrup harvest hits record high in 2020; sales also rise




OTTAWA — Canada's maple syrup harvest hit a record high of 14.3 million gallons this year, despite shutdowns during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

This year's harvest was 8.3 per cent higher than the 2019 record of 13.2 million gallons, pushing syrup sales up 7.9 per cent to $558.5 million this year.

Exports of Canadian maple syrup jumped nearly 22 per cent compared with 2019 in the first nine months of the year, much faster than the gains of 3.2 per cent between 2018 and 2019, the report said.

Quebec producers saw the lion's share of the gains, with yields falling in 6.2 per cent in New Brunswick, 6.9 per cent Ontario and 20.7 per cent in Nova Scotia.

Cancelled local festivals and breakfast events took a toll on smaller sugar shacks, but Quebec firms were boosted by good spring weather and more taps, Statistics Canada found.

Quebec, where prices are controlled by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, produces almost three-quarters of the global maple syrup supply, and accounts for 90 per cent of Canadian maple syrup production.

While the price in Quebec remained at $38.55 per gallon, other producers saw prices fall. Sales of Nova Scotia syrup fell by a fourth to $2.8 million, in part due to lower prices for bulk syrup, the report said. In New Brunswick, prices fell $2.05 per gallon to $36.78.

Statistics Canada noted that like many other industries, syrup producers have had to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Quebec, harvesters reported new ways of delivering barrels and cleaning equipment, while other firms turned to online sales and phone banking with farm visits on hold in the spring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2020.

The Canadian Press

Lab-Grown Meat Is Getting Closer to Supermarket Shelves

Agnieszka de Sousa
Thu., December 10, 2020

Lab-Grown Meat Is Getting Closer to Supermarket Shelves

(Bloomberg) -- Slaughter-free meat is finally starting to make the jump from the lab to the factory line.

As Singapore becomes the first country to allow the sale of cultured meat, more startups around the world are preparing to test production of lab-grown meats like beef and chicken in factories. While there’s a long way to go, it’s a crucial step in getting cell-based products ready for supermarket shelves.

Mosa Meat BV, started by cultured meat pioneer Mark Post, is among at least eight companies building or operating pilot sites. The Dutch company, which made the world’s first cultivated beef burger, has been raising funds for those efforts and plans to upgrade small-scale output in the first half of next year, before moving to a full industrial site as early as the end of 2022.

“We proved already in 2013 that we can make a hamburger,” Mosa Chief Executive Officer Maarten Bosch said in an interview. “Now it’s all about scaling up and getting the cost where it should be. That’s exactly what this phase is all about.”

Lab-meat startups have grown from a handful in 2016 to at least 60 now, according to consultant Lux Research Inc. The sector wants to make production more humane and environmentally sustainable and has attracted record venture-capital funding this year. Just last week, Singapore approved Eat Just Inc. to sell cultured chicken, at a time when interest in alternative proteins is growing.

There are still lots of challenges -- from cutting high costs and making large-scale production feasible to winning regulatory approval. With cultivated meat costing $400 to $2,000 a kilogram (2.2 pounds) to make, there’s still a long way until prices compete with conventional meats, according to Lux.

“Economies of scale are likely to help lower the cost in years to come,” said Harini Venkataraman, a Lux analyst in Amsterdam. “That is why these pilot plants are such important milestones.”

The cell-based meat market is projected to reach $140 billion in the next decade, according to forecasts compiled by Blue Horizon Corp. AG, which invests in alternative proteins.

Startups announcing test plants include Memphis Meats Inc., which has received backing from Richard Branson and Tyson Foods Inc., as well as cell-based seafood maker BlueNalu Inc. Aleph Farms Ltd., which this week hosted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to taste its beefsteak, is also working on a pilot plant. Companies such as BioTech Foods, SuperMeat and Eat Just have already started testing sites.

“It’s not a question whether this is feasible,” said Ido Savir, CEO of SuperMeat, which has started a test kitchen for cultured chicken in Israel. “It’s a question of how long it will take us to go from a pilot setting, where we’re at, to a commercial scale. Things are becoming very exciting now.”

(Updates with Aleph Farms in penultimate paragraph.)

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©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

GREEN CAPITALI$M

Con Edison Test Driving E-School Buses Toward Improved Reliability And Cleaner Air

Energy Company Using Power from White Plains Bus Batteries to Feed Its Grid


NEWS PROVIDED BY Consolidated Edison Company of New York


NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Con Edison has begun using the batteries on five electric school buses to provide power to its customers, marking the first time in New York State that electricity has flowed from buses into a utility's grid.

By day, the e-buses from Lion Electric, a North American leader in heavy-duty zero emission transportation, carry students to an elementary school in White Plains. They displace runs by buses that burn diesel, meaning better air quality in the Westchester County community. https://players.brightcove.net/954168402001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6214267775001

Con Edison and its partners have begun sending power from the batteries into its grid, a milestone in a demonstration project Con Edison began in 2018. The five buses can each discharge 10 kilowatts. For the five buses, that's 50 kilowatts or 50,000 watts.

That is a small amount of power for a utility grid with the capacity to reliably serve millions of homes and businesses in Westchester County and New York City. But the goal of the project is to explore the technological and economic potential of using e-school buses on a wider scale to improve air quality and grid reliability.

There are approximately 1,000 school buses operating in Westchester and 8,000 in New York City that could make a significant difference if converted to electric.

"We think electric school buses may provide an opportunity to achieve two of our company's goals, which are reducing carbon emissions and maintaining our industry-leading reliability," said Brian Ross, Con Edison's manager for the project. "We are innovating to help our state and region achieve a clean energy future in which electric vehicles will have a big role."

The White Plains school district put the buses on the road for the 2018-2019 school year and has found them to be reliable transportation. The company and its partners have since developed solutions to technical challenges, such as coordinating communication between the buses, the chargers and the batteries.

The charging and discharging takes place at a depot in North White Plains. The buses plug into a charger when the demand for power is low. The chargers reverse the flow of power into the grid at times when the buses are not transporting children.

The buses are manufactured by Lion Electric in North America with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, and operated for the school district by National Express.

"Our operators are dedicated to enabling the success of school bus electrification and V2G for the White Plains School District, with safety and reliability remaining our top priorities," said Charlie Bruce, senior vice president of Business Development for National Express.

"Our V2G software platform is designed to deliver grid services such as those to Con Edison from electric school buses," said Gregory Poilasne, chairman and CEO of Nuvve Corp. "The electric buses provide a cleaner environment for communities and help lower CO2 emissions while ensuring that driving energy needs are met every day."

Nuvve is a San Diego-based, green energy technology company and a leader in vehicle-to-grid and a partner in the White Plains project.

Con Edison contracted with First Priority Group to help develop and manage the project.

"Our goal was to bring industry experts together in a collaborative fashion to design and install one of the first true bi-directional V2G solutions in the U.S.," said Alex Cherepakhov, FPG's chairman and CEO. "Vehicle-to-Grid integration is the next step in the evolution of EV fleet power technology and we are pleased to have collaborated with our partners in making this happen."

National Express pays the energy costs during the school year. Con Edison, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and National Express contributed to paying for the buses. Con Edison and National Express paid for the chargers.

The upfront cost of electric school buses is higher than diesel buses. But using electric school buses for vehicle-to-grid purposes could make them more attractive to school districts, the communities they serve, and the bus operators that provide the service.

School schedules match up well with the power needs of Con Edison's 3.5 million customers. School buses are generally idle during the summer, which is when utility customers' need for power rises due to air conditioning. Discharging power from the buses into the grid at these times of high demand would take stress off Con Edison electric-distribution equipment.

Among the questions the project will answer is whether the frequent charging and discharging will speed the degradation of the batteries.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $60 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York.

SOURCE Consolidated Edison Company of New York

POLITICO OPINION | 2020
Americans Increasingly Believe Violence is Justified if the Other Side Wins

Our research detected an uptick in recent months in the share of Americans willing to condone political unrest.


A member of the Proud Boys fires a paintball gun into a crowd of anti-police protesters as the two sides clashed on Aug. 22 in Portland. | Nathan Howard/Getty Images

By LARRY DIAMOND, LEE DRUTMAN, TOD LINDBERG, NATHAN P. KALMOE and LILLIANA MASON
10/09/2020

Larry Diamond is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. Lee Drutman is a senior fellow at New America. Tod Lindberg is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Nathan P. Kalmoe is an associate professor of political communication at Louisiana State University. Lilliana Mason is an associate professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland.

This story has been updated by the authors; see their note below.

At the presidential debate this week, the Republican candidate voiced his concern about political violence—left-wing political violence. And the Democratic candidate likewise voiced concern about political violence—right-wing political violence.

They were both right.

Like a growing number of prominent American leaders and scholars, we are increasingly anxious that this country is headed toward the worst post-election crisis in a century and a half. Our biggest concern is that a disputed presidential election—especially if there are close contests in a few swing states, or if one candidate denounces the legitimacy of the process—could generate violence and bloodshed.

Unfortunately, we’re not being alarmist about the potential for violence; trends in public opinion that we’ve been tracking provide strong grounds for concern. Our research, which we’re reporting here for the first time, shows an upswing in the past few months in the number of Americans—both Democrats and Republicans—who said they think violence would be justified if their side loses the upcoming presidential election.

This growing acceptance of the possibility of violence is a bipartisan movement. Our data shows that the willingness of Democrats and Republicans alike to justify violence as a way to achieve political goals has essentially been rising in lockstep.

All of us have been involved, separately and eventually together, in surveying and researching Americans’ political attitudes and engagement. Late last year, we noticed an uptick in the number of respondents saying they would condone violence by their own political party, and we decided to combine our data sets to get as much information as possible on this worrisome trend. We were also monitoring another question: Would you condone violence if the other party’s candidate wins the presidential election?

While the pool of respondents between our datasets is slightly different, our questions have had the same wording. Here’s what we’ve found:

• Among Americans who identify as Democrat or Republican, 1 in 3 now believe that violence could be justified to advance their parties’ political goals—a substantial increase over the last three years.

• In September, 44 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats said there would be at least “a little” justification for violence if the other party’s nominee wins the election. Those figures are both up from June, when 35 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of Democrats expressed the same sentiment.

• Similarly, 36 percent of Republicans and 33 percent of Democrats said it is at least “a little” justified for their side “to use violence in advancing political goals”—up from 30 percent of both Republicans and Democrats in June.

• There has been an even larger increase in the share of both Democrats and Republicans who believe there would be either “a lot” or “a great deal” of justification for violence if their party were to lose in November. The share of Republicans seeing substantial justification for violence if their side loses jumped from 15 percent in June to 20 percent in September, while the share of Democrats jumped from 16 percent to 19 percent.

• These numbers are even higher among the most ideological partisans. Of Democrats who identify as “very liberal,” 26 percent said there would be “a great deal” of justification for violence if their candidate loses the presidency compared to 7 percent of those identifying as simply “liberal.” Of Republicans who identify as “very conservative,” 16 percent said they believe there would be “a great deal” of justification for violence if the GOP candidate loses compared to 7 percent of those identifying as simply “conservative.” This means the ideological extremes of each party are two to four times more apt to see violence as justified than their party’s mainstream members.



[Update: Since this article published, we’ve received new polling data that strongly suggests the trend is not as large as originally thought. On the question of justifying violence, new data from the same source as the 2017 to 2019 trend suggests there has not been a significant shift in attitudes since December 2019, though there is still a notable increase from 2017. On the question of justifying violence in the event of losing a presidential race, there has been a small increase but not as large as the one we originally described. We’re reviewing the new data and will update further.]

All together, about 1 in 5 Americans with a strong political affiliation says they are quite willing to endorse violence if the other party wins the presidency. (The surveys by YouGov and the Voter Study Group had margins of error ranging from 1.5 to 3 percentage points. The surveys by Nationscape had margins of error of 2 and 2.1 percentage points.)

How seriously should we take these expressions of violence? Both history and social psychology warn us to take them very seriously. In Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, a rising tide of armed street mobilization and of violent clashes between rival partisans ravaged fragile democratic cultures, bullied and marginalized moderate forces, and gave rising autocrats an excuse to seize emergency powers. Some of us who’ve studied the rise of authoritarians see strong parallels between that period of European history and factors at work in America today.

However, expressing approval of partisan violence does not mean someone is ready to pick up a gun. The steps from attitudes to actions are prohibitive for all but a tiny minority because of the legal, social, and physical risks of acting violently.

New Research: How Personality Differences Contribute to Gender Inequality in Leadership

The Myers-Briggs Company: Personality Discrimination Presents Roadblocks to Diversity



NEWS PROVIDED BY The Myers-Briggs Company

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Companies that embrace a larger view of success are asking whether opportunities are available to all regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, background, or other attributes. The Myers-Briggs Company, a Certified B Corporation®, recently launched an initiative to explore the state of diversity and inclusion in the workplace (including a research study and webinar) which added another dimension to the discussion: personality preferences.

It’s no secret that women and minorities are underrepresented at senior levels in the workplace. What is less well-known is how attitudes about differences in personality type may contribute to this. In a recent webinar, John Hackston, Head of Thought Leadership at The Myers-Briggs Company, shows how undervaluing certain aspects of personality may lead to lack of diversity and outlines actionable steps that can be implemented to remedy the situation.

It's no secret that women and minorities are underrepresented at senior levels in the workplace. Approximately 25% of directors are women and just over 10% are non-white (compared with around 50% and around 40% respectively in the population, according to the US census bureau).

What is less well-known is how attitudes about differences in personality type may contribute to this. In a recent webinar, John Hackston, Head of Thought Leadership at The Myers-Briggs Company, used data from 1.7 million people to:

Show how undervaluing certain aspects of personality may lead to underrepresentation of women and minorities

Outline actionable steps that can be implemented to remedy the situation

Organizations Value Some Personality Preferences Less Than Others

Research using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) framework suggests that organizations tend to value and reward people with some personality preferences more than others. For example, people with a preference for Introversion tend to be less well-regarded and are less likely to be promoted than those with a preference for Extraversion.

In neglecting personality as an aspect of inclusion, organizations are missing out on the many gifts that Introversion can bring. Because Introverts can be great leaders. However, a non-inclusive approach to personality preferences is a roadblock to diversity and inclusion in other areas too.

Personality Differences May Contribute to Underrepresentation of Women

One dimension of the MBTI framework, Thinking-Feeling, looks at the way we prefer to make decisions. People with a Thinking preference prefer to make decisions based on objective logic, while those with a Feeling preference prefer to make decisions based on their values, and how the decision will affect other people. The Myers-Briggs Company found that for a woman, it may be more difficult to be promoted if you have a Feeling-oriented approach to decision-making, while for men personality preference matters much less.

To be truly inclusive, organizations need to consider personality as well as other factors. Tools like the MBTI assessment can be key assets in promoting diversity and fostering inclusion.

The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) Embrace Diversity of Personality

Since 2013, the Tahatikonhsotontie Head Start team--part of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ), located on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario--has used the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) assessment, within annual workshops.

Carolyn Hamilton-Kuby, President of Morningstar Centre for Engagement, who facilitated their first MBTI workshop, witnessed firsthand improvements in team cohesiveness. "When asked to share how the MBTI workshops had impacted them, both personally and professionally, the Head Start team agreed that the knowledge gained consistently enhanced their understanding and appreciation of personality differences within their team. One of the most frequently noted benefits has been improved communication, which they attribute to appreciation of team diversity as a direct result of the MBTI workshops."

Read the full case study here.

About The Myers-Briggs Company

In our fast-changing world, your edge lies in harnessing 100 percent of your talent – at work, at home, in education, and everywhere in between. Your success and fulfillment aren't just about what you know, they hinge on your relationships and interactions with others. The Myers-Briggs Company helps organizations around the world improve teams, develop inspirational leaders, and solve the most perplexing people challenges. We empower individuals to be the best versions of themselves by enriching their understanding of themselves and others. As a Certified B Corporation, The Myers-Briggs Company is a force for good. Our powerfully practical solutions are grounded in a deep understanding of how significant social and technological trends affect people and organizations. And with an 80-year background of assessment and psychological expertise, a global network of offices, partners and certified independent consultants in 115 countries, products in 29 languages, and experience working with 88 of the Fortune 100 companies, we're ready to help you succeed.

+1 800.624.1765 : themyersbriggs.com : The Myers-Briggs Company

Contact:
Michael Burke
MSR Communications
michael@msrcommunications.com
415-989-9000

Melissa Summer
The Myers-Briggs Company
msummer@themyersbriggs.com
650-691-9105

SOURCE The Myers-Briggs Company
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Auburn University professor teams with European scientists seeking to save olive trees from deadly pathogen


NEWS PROVIDED BY Auburn University 

AUBURN, Ala., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- An Auburn University researcher has joined with European scientists in an attempt to decipher the disease process caused by one of the world's most harmful plant pathogens, Xylella fastidiosa.

Leonardo De La Fuente, a professor in Auburn University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, is an expert on the plant pathogen, Xylella.

The bacterium's impact has been nothing short of catastrophic in both the U.S. and Europe. Originating in the Americas, Xylella fastidiosa has caused a crisis in the European Union, where the bacterium was first recognized in the southern heel of Italy in 2013. Tens of thousands of gnarled olive trees, some of them hundreds of years old, are withering and dying, destroying the livelihoods of families that have relied on the centuries-old groves for generations.

In California, the disease has evolved into a very serious problem for vintners, causing annual losses of more than $100 million. The European Union has taken a proactive stance to prevent spread of the disease to other regions after seeing the devastation wrought in Italy.

"This disease's capacity to devastate is amazing," said Leonardo De La Fuente, an expert on Xylella and a professor in Auburn's Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology.

De La Fuente first started studying the plant pathogen in 2005 as a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University. He said he was fascinated by the bacterium as a "biological problem" and continued his studies when he came to Auburn. Xylella fastidiosa was known for causing Pierce's disease in California vineyards, and a different subspecies blighted Brazilian citrus trees and coffee bushes.

"At the time, I didn't know it was going to be a worldwide problem," De La Fuente recalled.

Xylella had never been seen before in Europe, blindsiding European scientists. They turned to American experts like De La Fuente when their olive trees started dying. In 2014, he was asked to teach a course in Spain about emerging plant diseases. In 2015, the focus narrowed to Xylella.

"There was a lot of interest in learning how to work with it, diagnose it, find it and extract it," De La Fuente said. "Then we started developing research collaborations, and people were coming to my lab from Spain, Italy and France for help jump-starting their research."

Italy, Greece and Spain produce some 95% of European olive oil, with Italy's contribution alone worth more than $2 billion each year. Spread of the disease beyond southern Italy would threaten the entire European Union economy. Currently, the only way to completely eliminate the disease is to tear up the trees in the fields and then to aggressively quarantine the area in an attempt to stop the pathogen's spread.

"I feel like you have to respect this bacterium, because it is very good at causing incurable diseases in plants," De La Fuente said.

Dying trees and public opinion

Spanish journalists at first nicknamed Xylella fastidiosa the Ebola of the plant world. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, coronavirus seems the better human counterpart. Dying trees and devastated groves had a psychological impact on people, with conspiracy theories taking root and growing. Italian prosecutors even opened an investigation into the scientists who first identified Xylella as the cause of the dying trees—in part because they failed to stop spread of the disease.

"People didn't believe it was real, and they didn't want to do anything," De La Fuente said. "People were going on TV saying it was a hoax, claiming that developers were destroying trees so they could buy cheap land. Some scientists who wanted to be in the spotlight were not methodical in their research, rushing to publish. Everybody seemed to have a solution, and they were belittling other people's opinions."

Part of the reason Xylella is so pernicious is that it is capable of attacking such a wide variety of plant species. In addition to causing disease in California grapevines and Brazilian citrus and coffee plants, different subspecies of Xylella cause disease in pecan and almond trees and blueberry bushes.

These high-value crops can take years before they become productive, destroying the livelihoods of farmers and causing massive economic damage. In scenic wine- and olive-producing regions, the financial loss from destruction of the crop is exacerbated by the loss of tourism fueling local economies. Replanted wine grapes or olive trees, as well as pecan and almond trees and blueberry bushes, can take years before they become productive.

Central American origin

Genetic analysis suggests a Central American origin for the bacterium, which was introduced to California over 100 years ago. Infected ornamental coffee plants imported from Central America, possibly decades ago, probably caused the European outbreak. Many plant species harbor the disease but are asymptomatic.

The pathogen is spread by sap-sucking insects such as leafhoppers, spittlebugs and sharpshooters and lives only in the mouths of insects and a plant's xylem system, the system of tubes that circulates water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Basically, the pathogen lives only in flowing water and can't survive in soil or air. The disease process is not well understood, and that is part of what fascinated De La Fuente.

"People make fun of me and say I like difficult systems," he said.

De La Fuente's lab works in two areas. First, his team studies the bacterium's relationship with the nutrients needed by plants and transported in the xylem system, since the pathogen thrives on the very same nutrients plants need to grow. The team has found, for example, that calcium accumulates in infected plants and increases the virulence of the bacterium. They also have found that the plant's defense response may worsen the disease, in the same way that our own immune systems cause autoimmune diseases by attacking too aggressively. They have identified additional target proteins that may be involved in colonization of plants by X. fastidiosa, as well.

The lab also studies how the pathogen evolves to adapt to different plants, an important focus because the bacterium was not known to be so aggressive until it colonized olive trees. The team has identified, for example, conditions that lead to exchange of genes among X. fastidiosa cells or even X. fastidiosa and other organisms. Only one other plant-associated bacterium, Ralstonia solanaceraum, is able to acquire DNA from the environment and incorporate the genes into its own genome, De La Fuente said. This horizontal gene transfer—sometimes called "jumping genes"—is known to sometimes make bacteria more virulent as well as more efficient in adapting to a host. De La Fuente's team has identified genes that have roles in the bacterial fitness and pathogenicity, which will lead to recommendations for disease management.

The importance of management

Management is the key, since eradication of the disease remains an elusive goal. Perhaps resistant cultivars of olive trees and other plants can be developed, but in the meantime, something has to be done to protect farmers and the economy. To that end, De La Fuente has worked with colleagues in Andalusia, in southern Spain, to protect the olive groves that produce 50% of the world's olive oil.

"They did a great job and worked very fast to educate people," he said. "They also found a different subspecies in Spanish almond trees and moved fast, removing the almond trees. There was some pushback, but people saw the problem in Italy and said, 'OK, this is real.'"

In Italy, he said, critical time was lost to denial and argument. In Spain, too, scientists were accused of making people worry for nothing, but De La Fuente insists that raising the alarm was necessary.

"If you're a scientist raising these alarms, though, you never win," he admitted. "There's no way to win."

De La Fuente's research is funded by internal Auburn University grants, the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and European sources. His lab is one of four in the U.S. that are part of the European EuroXanth COST action, initiated to foster training and research collaborations among different labs in Europe.

SOURCE Auburn University
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Kurdistan: An Invisible Nation  Stefano M. Torelli 2016 View PDF ▸   Download PDF ⬇ Kurdistan: An Invisible Nation Stefano M. Torelli Cengiz Gunes Robert Lowe Published 2016 2,373 Views144 Pages 2 Files ▾ Middle East Studies, Iraqi History, Kurdish Studies, Turkish and Middle East Studies, Middle Eastern Politics  ...more ▾ Show more ▾ Spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran, Kurdistan is one of the hottest geopolitical areas in the Middle East. It is a land inhabited by over 30 million people, representing one of the largest stateless "nations" worldwide. The Kurds play a crucial role in the region, and the so-called "Kurdish factor" has constantly been a key ingredient of recent Middle East crises: from the wars in Iraq under Saddam Hussein to the fight against the so-called Islamic State. Not to mention the strategic relevance that Kurdistan assumes as one of the oil-richest areas in the region. What new balances would an eventual victory of Kurds over IS create? What are the long-term goals of the Kurdish community? How to reach a solution to the Kurdish question able to satisfy all the actors involved? Can we envisage a common future for the Kurds or will they remain tied to the political destinies of the countries they live in? These are just some of the questions that this report tries to answer collecting contributions from leading international experts. We Have No Friends but the Mountains: The Background to Kurdish Autonomy Gary K Busch 1,203 Views44 Pages 1 File ▾ Iraqi History, Iranian Studies, Kurdish Studies, Turkish and Middle East Studies The role and status of the various Kurdish groups in Iraq, Iran. Turkey and Syria are shaping the conflicts which continue in these nations. Iraqi Kurdistan has just voted for its autonomy, provoking a hostile reaction from the nations of the region. It is important to understand the roots of this ancient antagonism and the lack of unity among the Kurds which has always stood in the way of their progress towards an independent Kurdistan. https://www.academia.edu/34887562/We_Have_No_Friends_but_the_Mountains_The_Background_to_Kurdish_Autonomy

43% of Consumers with Emergency Funds Tapped Those Savings Amid Pandemic

NEWS PROVIDED BY MagnifyMoney.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 4 in 10 consumers with emergency savings have had to tap into those funds during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest MagnifyMoney survey.

MagnifyMoney surveyed more than 1,000 consumers to find out how the pandemic has affected emergency funds, looking at everything from balances to when people think they should be used.

Key Findings:
43% of consumers with an emergency fund have used that money during the coronavirus pandemic. That number jumps to 64% for those who were laid off or furloughed. Even 26% who didn't lose income needed to dip into savings.

54% of those with an emergency fund have taken on debt rather than use that money. When asked why, 28% noted it's taken them a long time to build up the fund, so they were reluctant to use the money.

There are various scenarios in which consumers aren't willing to use their emergency funds. For example, 42% wouldn't pay off debt using the money in their fund, while 24% wouldn't be willing to use their fund to cover living expenses after a job loss, which is traditionally one of the primary reasons to have an emergency fund. 

Overall, 54% of consumers have an emergency fund. However, there's a divide among gender and income. Men are 38% more likely than women to have an emergency fund. And while 83% of those who make $100,000 or more have one, just 30% of those who make less than $25,000 a year said the same.

"The pandemic and the lockdowns caused a surge in unemployment, and the unemployment rate remains elevated," said Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts. "Many American households that have experienced a job loss had to tap their emergency funds. Even if they were able to avoid drawing from their emergency fund, saving has become more challenging."

To view the full report, visit: https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/banking/emergency-funds-pandemic-survey/.

Methodology

MagnifyMoney commissioned Qualtrics to conduct an online survey of 1,038 Americans, with the sample base proportioned to represent the overall population. We defined generations as the following ages in 2020:
Generation Z: 18 to 23
Millennial: 24 to 39
Generation X: 40 to 54
Baby boomer: 55 to 74

The survey also included responses from the silent generation (ages 75 and older). However, their responses weren't included in the generational breakdowns due to low sample size among that age group.

The survey was fielded Oct. 19 to 21, 2020.

About MagnifyMoney

MagnifyMoney.com, a subsidiary of LendingTree, makes it easy for consumers to shop for the best financial products and get answers to their most important financial questions. MagnifyMoney's unbiased advice and comprehensive product database helps millions of people compare credit cards, loans, checking accounts and savings accounts. MagnifyMoney's newsroom of personal finance experts is dedicated to helping people save money and lead financially healthier lives through strategies and tips for avoiding fees, getting out of debt, paying off student loans, avoiding consumer scams and other financial topics. MagnifyMoney was launched in 2014, was acquired by LendingTree in 2017, and is based in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.magnifymoney.com.

ROI Rocket: US Households Under Increasing Stress From Pandemic Surge And Related Financial Hardships

Despite these trends, the prospect of a COVID-19 vaccine has improved the public's long-term outlook

NEWS PROVIDED BYROI Rocket 

DENVER, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- About one in eight U.S. adults (12%) report a near-intolerable level of stress due to the pandemic directly or its impacts, according to a new survey by ROI Rocket, a leading provider of market research-based consulting services. This figure is up from one in ten (10%) as recently as September.

The rise in household stress stems from a number of COVID-19 related causes, notably, a 25% increase in households reporting coronavirus cases and a 9% increase in households experiencing new financial hardships such as job loss or reduced work hours. The percentage of households going through these ordeals is now up to 8% for COVID-19 cases and 31% for layoffs and other, similar financial difficulties.

About one in eight U.S. adults (12%) report a near-intolerable level of stress due to the pandemic.

Over two in three Americans (71%) says they're experiencing pandemic-related stress of one sort or another. The most prevalent type of stress is mental or emotional (53%), followed by financial (40%) and physical or medical (26%). The latter two types of stress have reached new peaks compared to the beginning of the quarter.

The increase in financial stress since September has been especially sharp in the wake of the current coronavirus resurgence. Americans are increasingly likely to go into debt to get by day-to-day. About two in five (43%) now report dealing with financial pressures by taking on new or additional credit card debt, borrowing from friends or family, selling personal items they wouldn't have sold otherwise or engaging in other unwanted activities like taking payday loans in response to pandemic-related life events. This percentage is up about 12% compared to about four months ago.

The one bright spot in the data is that the promise of a COVID-19 vaccine has improved the public's outlook on how soon life will return to 'normal.' As late as last month, nearly three in five Americans (56%) estimated a full recovery would take over a year, or alternately, never occur. That number is down to about two in five (41%) this week. 

For the growing segment of the public more stressed-out and financially extended than ever, a vaccine and the hoped-for economic rebound can't come fast enough.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

This study of 1,228 U.S. residents aged 18 and older was fielded between November 24 and December 7, 2020. The results have an associated margin of error of +/- 2.8% at the 95% confidence level in the most conservative case. This means the results come within plus or minus 2.8% of the results that would have been obtained given a census of all qualified individuals. Sample collection was balanced to U.S. Census figures for gender, age, race/ethnicity and household income.

ABOUT ROI ROCKET

Founded in 2007, ROI Rocket is a leading provider of full-service market research, marketing and sales automation, and digital agency support with offices in Denver, CO, Vancouver, WA, and Jacksonville, FL

US Foods Drivers In Allentown, PA Vote To Join Teamsters Local 773

Frontline Workers Unite for Respect and Improved Working Conditions


NEWS PROVIDED BY Teamsters Local 773

ALLENTOWN, Pa., Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- US Foods drivers in Allentown, Pennsylvania, won their union organizing campaign to become members of Teamsters Local 773. Drivers are seeking improvements to health care and other benefits, an end to unfair work policies, and most importantly, winning a voice on the job.

The Allentown location employs close to 120 drivers who are not only frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic but have been fighting for years to gain respect and dignity on the job.

"Our local welcomes and congratulates the delivery drivers at US Foods in Allentown. They fought hard to win this organizing campaign, and we will fight hard to get them a contract with better benefits, wages, and working conditions," Teamsters Local 773 President Dennis Hower said.

Richard Rich, a 26-year driver, said, "The drivers at US Foods are so pleased to be joining our Teamster brothers and sisters across the country. US Foods used to be a good place to work, but over the years they took advantage of us and didn't respect or listen to us. Now they can't ignore us. We've made it resoundingly clear through our vote that we are Teamster Strong and we are going to stand united and push through for a solid contract!"

For years, employees suffered through frequent policy changes, changes in management and numerous false promises. They recognized that they kept losing things every year, and their cost of benefits continued to increase.

"This was a long haul, and the company hasn't treated us the same as union drivers for years," said Mike Kester, a driver for over 20 years. "Union shops surround us, and it was about time we joined them. This was an emotional process, but it is clear that my coworkers and I agree that we have more strength when we stand in solidarity and have a strong union behind us. US Foods will not freely give us what we deserve, so now we get to negotiate for it."

"Our collective vote conquered fear and insecurity and restored value to our individual voices that can no longer be silenced or ignored. This was a great victory for all of us indeed," said 18-year employee Michael Wittland.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow up on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.