To help trudge through the snow, the Chang'e-5 recovery team wore powered exoskeletons

by Andy Tomaswick, Universe Today

Other worlds aren't the only difficult terrain personnel will have to traverse in humanity's exploration of the solar system. There are some parts of our own planet that are inhospitable and hard to travel over. Inner Mongolia, a northern province of China, would certainly classify as one of those areas, especially in winter. But that's exactly the terrain team members from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC) had to traverse on December 16th to retrieve lunar samples from the Chang'e-5 mission. What was even more unique is that they did it with the help of exoskeletons.

Strangely enough, the workers wearing the exoskeletons weren't there to help with a difficult mountain ascent, or even pick up the payload of the lunar lander itself (which only weighed 2 kg). It was to set up a communications tent to connect the field team back to the main CASTC headquarters in Beijing.

The exoskeletons were designed to help people carry approximately twice as much as they would be able to. Local state media described a single person carrying 50kg over 100m of the rough terrain without becoming tired. Setting up communications equipment isn't all the exoskeletons are good for though. They were most recently used by Chinese military logistics and medical staff in the Himalayas, where the country has been facing down the Indian military over a disputed line of control.

One advantage those workers had is that they didn't have to charge their suits. The exoskeletons used for the Chang'e-5 mission were unpowered. This was a conscious design decision, given the harsh environments the suits will operate in. Bad weather can knock out electrical systems, and a powered exoskeleton without any battery simply becomes more weight to carry rather than a helpful tool. However, they will be less useful in eliminating fatigue without the extra push of electric motors.

Powered or not, this is certainly not the last time such suits will be used on space exploration missions. Similar technology could help future space explorers navigate the terrain of even less hospitable environments off world. The suits would just need to hitch a ride on a rocket first

Model used to evaluate lockdowns was flawed

by Lund University
DECEMBER 28, 2020

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In a recent study, researchers from Imperial College London developed a model to assess the effect of different measures used to curb the spread of the coronavirus. However, the model had fundamental shortcomings and cannot be used to draw the published conclusions, claim Swedish researchers from Lund University, and other institutions, in the journal Nature.

The results from Imperial indicated that it was almost exclusively the complete societal lockdown that suppressed the wave of infections in Europe during spring.

The study estimated the effects of different measures such as social distancing, self-isolating, closing schools, banning public events and the lockdown itself.

"As the measures were introduced at roughly the same time over a few weeks in March, the mortality data used simply does not contain enough information to differentiate their individual effects. We have demontrated this by conducting a mathematical analysis. Using this as a basis, we then ran simulations using Imperial College's original code to illustrate how the model's sensitivity leads to unreliable results," explains Kristian Soltesz, associate professor in automatic control at Lund University and first author of the article.

The group's interest in the Imperial College model was roused by the fact that it explained almost all of the reduction in transmission during the spring via lockdowns in ten of the eleven countries modeled. The exception was Sweden, which never introduced a lockdown.

"In Sweden the model offered an entirely different measure as an explanation to the reduction—a measure that appeared almost ineffective in the other countries. It seemed almost too good to be true that an effective lockdown was introduced in every country except one, while another measure appeared to be unusually effective in this country", notes Soltesz.

Soltesz is careful to point out that it is entirely plausible that individual measures had an effect, but that the model could not be used to determine how effective they were.

"The various interventions do not appear to work in isolation from one another, but are often dependent upon each other. A change in behavior as a result of one intervention influences the effect of other interventions. How much and in what way is harder to know, and requires different skills and collaboration", says Anna Jöud, associate professor in epidemiology at Lund University and co-author of the study.

Analyzes of models from Imperial College and others highlight the importance of epidemiological models being reviewed, according to the authors.

"There is a major focus in the debate on sources of data and their reliability, but an almost total lack of systematic review of the sensitivity of different models in terms of parameters and data. This is just as important, especially when governments across the globe are using dynamic models as a basis for decisions", Soltesz and Jöud point out.

The first step is to carry out a correct analysis of the model's sensitivities. If they pose too great a problem then more reliable data is needed, often combined with a less complex model structure.

"With a lot at stake, it is wise to be humble when faced with fundamental limitations. Dynamic models are usable as long as they take into account the uncertainty of the assumptions on which they are based and the data they are led by. If this is not the case, the results are on a par with assumptions or guesses", concludes Soltesz.


Explore further COVID-19 in England: Analysis of the first two waves

More information: Kristian Soltesz et al, The effect of interventions on COVID-19, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-3025-y



Estimating the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 in Europe, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2405-7
Journal information: Nature

Tractors can change farming in good ways 

and bad: lessons from four African countries

by Thomas Daum, The Conversation
DECEMBER 29, 2020

Agricultural mechanisation can reduce work burden, increase prosperity and enhance diets. Credit: Shutterstock

Agricultural mechanisation is on the rise in Africa, replacing hand hoes and animal traction across the continent. While around 80-90% of all farmers still rely on manual labour or draught animals, this is changing, driven by falling machinery prices and rising rural wages. During the last couple of years, tractor sales grew by around 10% annually.

A look at the history of today's mechanised countries shows that a widespread replacement of manual labour with mechanical power can have large socioeconomic and environmental implications.

In our latest study, we explored how mechanisation could change the face of African farming and rural areas. It's important to ensure that mechanisation can be accompanied by policies that harness its potential and minimise potential negative effects.

To understand the effects of mechanisation, we collected data in 87 villages in Benin, Nigeria, Mali and Kenya. These villages were chosen as examples because they've already experience mechanisation. We conducted 129 focus group discussions with 1,330 rural residents. They identified various ways that mechanisation affected farming, rural life and nature.

The insights from the 87 villages revealed the great transformative power of agricultural mechanisation. Mechanisation can reduce work burden, raise prosperity and enhance diets. But there are also challenges such as soil erosion, deforestation and women's access to tractor services.

Identifying these challenges provides an opportunity to prevent them from arising, through agricultural research and appropriate policy action.

Consequences of using tractors

Our study focused on the use of tractors for land preparation as this was the most commonly mechanised activity across the case study countries. Preparing land is labour-intensive and is usually the first activity to be mechanised. Participants were asked to mention positive changes directly related to mechanisation. They then identified subsequent changes. What they told us formed a picture of a chain of impacts.

Overall, we found that mechanisation has more far-reaching agronomic, environmental and socioeconomic consequences than commonly assumed.

On the upside, it frees men, women and children from heavy agricultural work. This gives them time to do other things, like running non-agricultural businesses or going to school.

Mechanisation also helps to overcome labour bottlenecks, a well-recognised constraint to rain-fed agriculture. This allows people to cultivate more land, as 61% of the respondents reported. In Mali, one farmer said: "Many farmers have land that they can't farm, it is let as fallow. With the tractor, the land is farmed and produces volumes of crops beyond the consumption capacity of the household." (SURPLUS VALUE)

Using a tractor also improves the timeliness of agriculture. Farm activities can be completed at the optimal time, which raises yields. This was noted by 72% of all respondents. The overall increase in agricultural production contributes to enhancing food security and reducing poverty.

On the other hand, 58% of the respondents noted that mechanisation can undermine long-term soil fertility, in particular when the disc plough is used. They said the use of heavy tractors can trigger soil erosion and compaction. In Benin, one farmer reported: "Tractor increases soil compaction given the weight… This is followed by the problems of flooding and erosion, which considerably reduce fertility and consequently the yield."

Another concern is deforestation. Cultivating more land can mean losing trees on a large scale. Even clearing trees from fields so that tractors can operate there reduces biodiversity and makes the soil more susceptible to rain and wind erosion. In Mali, one farmer reported: "Trees are destroyed to enable the tractor to work comfortably. This exposes the land."

Some effects are highly context-specific, such as employment effects. In Benin, where mechanisation was associated with area expansion, this greatly raised the demand for labour to carry out the non-mechanised parts of farming. Here, no unemployment effects were reported, confirming a pattern from countries such as Zambia.

In Nigeria, where fewer farmers expanded land sizes, 48% reported job losses. Employment effects can be non-direct as well. Many rural residents reported that the rising prosperity of farmers due to mechanisation leads to positive spill-overs to non-farmers such as blacksmiths, carpenters and hairdressers.

As with most new technologies, mechanisation has benefits for some but not for others. While other studies have found that smallholder farmers have less access to mechanisation, this was only mentioned by 15% of the respondents. But mechanisation is less accessible for women compared to men. This was reported in all countries but it varied: 71% of women in Mali shared this perception but only 5% of women in Benin.

Managing the consequences

Most negative effects are not inherent to farm mechanisation and can be addressed with complementary agronomic practices and adequate policies. Soil erosion can be reduced with conservation agriculture, which protects soils by replacing heavy disc ploughs with less soil-disturbing rippers or direct seeders and continuous soil covers.

Deforestation can be minimised with careful land-use planning, for example, by protecting land that is particularly valuable for climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and wildlife.

Entry points to ensure that women benefit from mechanisation may comprise campaigns showing women role models using tractors, supporting women's mechanisation groups and developing knowledge and skills.

With the right policies, countries can harness the potential of mechanisation and manage challenges. This can ensure that mechanisation contributes to an African agricultural transformation that is sustainable from a social, economic, and environmental perspective.


Explore further Mechanical rice production

Provided by The Conversation

Archaeologists create 3-D model of part of the Tepsei archaeological site

by Kemerovo State University

DECEMBER 28, 2020

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Archeologists from Kemerovo State University are exploring the Tepsei site of Minusinsk Basin, located in Krasnoturansky district (Krasnoyarsk region). Their research objective is to describe the culture and history of the site, covering over 27 square kilometers. The territory includes Mount Tepsei (630 m high) and the river valley below. The site has already revealed numerous archeological artifacts, burial grounds, and ancient villages of the Yenisey culture. The local rock art ranges from the Stone Age to ethnographic times and is represented by numerous petroglyphs on rocks, horizontal stone plates, and Tagar burrows.


The Tepsei cave art first attracted the attention of our Department of Archeology in 1980s, when a team of archeologists, led by Dr. B.N Pyatkin, explored the local petroglyphs. In 1995, Tepsei rock art became the subject of an international French and Russian program supervised by Yakov Sher and Henry-Paul Frankfor. The team studied the effect of the artificial lake on the local petroglyphs. Eight years ago, Kemerovo State University returned to Tepsei and resumed the research on a new level: Olga Sovetova, the Director of the Institute of History and International Relations, and her team of archeologists use 3-D modeling and UAV drones to study the local rock art.

In 2018 the team obtained a grant support to catalog the prehistoric rock art of Mount Tepsei using both traditional and innovative methods. They employed a Garmin GPS device to record each surface. By marking each individual site on Google Maps, the archeologists identified the largest clusters of petroglyphs and revealed the areas that needed additional in situ research. The GPS technology made it possible to define the approximate boundaries of the Tepsei archaeological site. A UAV survey of inaccessible mountain areas helped to identify some new rock art clusters. The petroglyphs were cataloged and copied using both contact and non-contact methods, e.g. mica-coated paper, various shooting modes, etc.

The graphic sources database of the Tepsei site is almost complete. The scientists have already copied and cataloged the prehistoric art of the river valley near Mount Tepsei and its upper areas, including two ravines, as well as petroglyphs made on burial stones and slabs at the foot of the mountain. Two expeditions took place in July and September of 2020. The archeologists performed an aerial survey of the terrain, mapped the territory, and explored some hard-to-reach areas using drones. They completed 3-D models of fifteen rock art surfaces.

The scientists worked in cooperation with specialists from the RSSDA laboratory (Moscow). Together, they completed a 3-D virtual model of one of the clusters. This model will show the exact location of each rock art site, burial stone, or stone slab. The map will also show excavation sites. The research will define the precise boundaries of the whole Tepsei cluster and give a more accurate picture of the ancient history of southern Siberia: the gradual change of cultures, migration routes, the time when various settlements were set up, the worldview of the peoples that etched the petroglyphs, etc. In addition, the historians found some new rock paintings, including that of a wild horse (approx. the 3rd BC) and Scythian figures of animals made with delicate engraved lines (the 8th-3rd BC).


Explore further

New investigation of South African rock shelter sheds light into Middle and Later modern human behavior

Provided by Kemerovo State University

Study shows children who self-identify as sexual or gender minority more likely to be obese than peers

by Bob Yirka , Medical Xpress

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, has found that children who identify themselves as belonging to a sexual or gender minority are more likely to be obese than their peers. In their paper published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the team describes how they analyzed data supplied by 12,000 children filling out online questionnaires sent to them and what they learned from it.

The questionnaire created by the researchers featured blunt questions such as, "Are you gay or bisexual?" I WOULD SEPERATE THOSE QUESTIONS

Or "Are you transgender?" 

I WOULD ASK HOW THEY IDENTIFY F-M/M-F

ARE THEY ASEXUAL? 

Those filling out the survey promised that they were children (they also had to have permission from their parents). Other questions on the survey asked those responding about their gender, race, family income, their BMZ score (a body mass index score the children could calculate by taking measurements of their bodies and comparing them to averages for other children their age.) The researchers also asked the children if they had any eating disorders, and if so, to specify which.

In analyzing their data, the researchers found that 190 of the respondents (1.6 percent) answered either 'yes' or 'maybe' to questions about their sexuality or gender identity, making them part of a Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM). In comparing the number of them that reported having higher than average BMZ scores, the researchers calculated that they were 64 percent more likely to be at risk of being obese than non-SGM children. They also found that SGM children were approximately three and a half times as likely to have an eating disorder (five of the children who responded had at least one eating disorder). In a related finding, a team at the University of California last year reported that bisexual men were more prone to having an eating disorder than either gay or straight men.

The researchers were not able to say why SGM children were more at risk of being obese or of having an eating disorder but noted that SGM identities in most children are not well established until they reach an older age. In a related finding, the researchers also found that responding children of color were twice as likely to be obese as the white children who responded.

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Explore further

One percent of children aged 9-10 self-identify as gay, transgender

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More information: Natasha A. Schvey et al. Obesity and Eating Disorder Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, JAMA Pediatrics (2020). DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5152

Journal information: JAMA Pediatrics 

 

Using economic data to create

predictive models of anticipated antimicrobial resistance levels across countries

by Bob Yirka, Science X Network, Phys.org

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers at the Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development has developed a way to model anticipated antimicrobial resistance levels across countries using economic data. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes using the average income for a country, average out-of-pocket health care expenses for those living there and the degree of government corruption to create models that could accurately represent anticipated antimicrobial resistance levels for a given country.

Over the past decade, it has become apparent that the antibiotics that doctors use to treat patients with infections are not working as well as they once did. Prior research has shown that this is because many of the bacteria behind such infections have, through mutations, developed resistance. Prior research has also shown that the development of antibiotic resistance has been aided by the overuse of antibiotics.

 For that reason, medical researchers in developed countries have begun to track bacteria and the therapies that are used to treat the infections that result. These efforts have led to better targeted therapies, less overuse of antibiotics and slowing in mutations in bacteria. Improvements have not been observed in many third-world countries, however, because they lack the funds to implement such systems. In this new effort, the researchers working in the Netherlands have developed an alternative approach—using economic data to predict resistance levels.

The work involved first looking at the relationship between antimicrobial resistance and economic conditions in a given country, through which the researchers detected patterns. They used these patterns to reverse the process—using economic data to predict antimicrobial resistance levels in different countries.

To test their models, the researchers restricted the number of pathogens to just the nine most common and compared what their models reported with health statistical data for a few select countries. They found their models to be 78 to 86% accurate for six of the nine pathogens included in the tests—high enough to track global resistance to the most common types of antibacterial agents.

Low antibiotic concentration in the environment enough to increase antimicrobial resistance in laboratory conditions

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More information: Rik Oldenkamp et al. Filling the gaps in the global prevalence map of clinical antimicrobial resistance, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013515118

Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 

Provided by Science X Network

Japanese pairing looking into using wood to build satellites

by Bob Yirka , Tech Xplore

Japanese company Sumitomo Forestry has announced a joint development project with Kyoto University to test the idea of using wood as a component in satellite construction. As part of the announcement, officials with Sumitomo Forestry told reporters that work on the project will begin with experiments designed to test different types of wood in extreme environments.

Some of the major components in most satellites include aluminum, Kevlar and aluminum alloys, which are able to withstand both temperature extremes and constant bombardment by radiation—all in a vacuum. Unfortunately, these characteristics also allow satellites to remain in orbit long after their usefulness has ended, resulting in constant additions to the space junk orbiting the planet. 

According to the World Economic Forum, there are currently approximately 6,000 satellites circling the Earth but only 60% of them are still in use. Some in the field have predicted that nearly 1,000 satellites will be launched into space each year over the coming decade. Considering their lifespan, this suggests there could be thousands more dead satellites orbiting the planet in the coming years. 

This space debris poses a significant threat to other satellites (they all travel thousands of miles per hour) and also to manned space missions. Most in the space community agree that space junk is becoming a serious problem. And there is more bad news—the aluminum used in satellites has been found to break apart when a satellite returns to Earth, creating hundreds or thousands of tiny alumina particles that wind up floating in the upper atmosphere for many years, possibly posing an environmental problem. For all these reasons, the researchers with this new project are looking to replace these materials with wood.

The major benefit of wood-based satellites is they would burn up completely when returning to Earth. But another major bonus of using wood to create the outer shell of a satellite is that electromagnetic waves would pass right through it, which means antennas could be placed inside of satellite structures, making them simpler to design and deploy. The researchers plan to look for appropriate wood candidates and then to conduct experiments to see it they could be treated to stand up to space conditions. They predict they will have a product ready for testing by 2023.

Researchers achieve sustained, high-fidelity quantum teleportation

by University of Chicago

DECEMBER 29, 2020

 In a demonstration of high-fidelity quantum teleportation at the Fermilab Quantum Network, fiber-optic cables connect off-the-shelf devices (shown above), as well as state-of-the-art R&D devices. Credit: Fermilab

A viable quantum internet—a network in which information stored in qubits is shared over long distances through entanglement—would transform the fields of data storage, precision sensing and computing, ushering in a new era of communication.

This month, scientists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory—a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory affiliated with the University of Chicago—along with partners at five institutions took a significant step in the direction of realizing a quantum internet.

In a paper published in PRX Quantum, the team presents for the first time a demonstration of a sustained, long-distance teleportation of qubits made of photons (particles of light) with fidelity greater than 90%.

The qubits were teleported over a fiber-optic network 27 miles (44 kilometers) long using state-of-the-art single-photon detectors, as well as off-the-shelf equipment.

"We're thrilled by these results," said Fermilab scientist Panagiotis Spentzouris, head of the Fermilab quantum science program and one of the paper's co-authors. "This is a key achievement on the way to building a technology that will redefine how we conduct global communication."

The achievement comes just a few months after the U.S. Department of Energy unveiled its blueprint for a national quantum internet at a press conference at the University of Chicago.

Linking particles

Quantum teleportation is a "disembodied" transfer of quantum states from one location to another. The quantum teleportation of a qubit is achieved using quantum entanglement, in which two or more particles are inextricably linked to each other. If an entangled pair of particles is shared between two separate locations, no matter the distance between them, the encoded information is teleported.

SIMPLY PUT THIS MEANS THAT THE PARTICLES ARE SHARING THE SAME TIME WHILE BEING AT DIFFERENT POINTS IN SPACE, THAT MOMENT OF QUANTUM TIME MEANS THEY SHARE THE SAME CONTENT

The joint team—researchers at Fermilab, AT&T, Caltech, Harvard University, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and University of Calgary—successfully teleported qubits on two systems: the Caltech Quantum Network and the Fermilab Quantum Network. The systems were designed, built, commissioned and deployed by Caltech's public-private research program on Intelligent Quantum Networks and Technologies, or IN-Q-NET.

"We are very proud to have achieved this milestone on sustainable, high-performing and scalable quantum teleportation systems," said Maria Spiropulu, the Shang-Yi Ch'en professor of physics at Caltech and director of the IN-Q-NET research program. "The results will be further improved with system upgrades we are expecting to complete by the second quarter of 2021."

Both the Caltech and Fermilab networks, which feature near-autonomous data processing, are compatible both with existing telecommunication infrastructure and with emerging quantum processing and storage devices. Researchers are using them to improve the fidelity and rate of entanglement distribution, with an emphasis on complex quantum communication protocols and fundamental science.

"With this demonstration we're beginning to lay the foundation for the construction of a Chicago-area metropolitan quantum network," Spentzouris said.

The Chicagoland network, called the Illinois Express Quantum Network, is being designed by Fermilab in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, Caltech, Northwestern University and industry partners.

"The feat is a testament to success of collaboration across disciplines and institutions, which drives so much of what we accomplish in science," said Fermilab Deputy Director of Research Joe Lykken. "I commend the IN-Q-NET team and our partners in academia and industry on this first-of-its-kind achievement in quantum teleportation.

Explore further Quantum network to test unhackable communications

More information: Raju Valivarthi et al. Teleportation Systems Toward a Quantum Internet, PRX Quantum (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PRXQuantum.1.020317

Provided by University of Chicago 

Those Space Force Uniforms Orbiting Social Media Are Bogus, US Military Says

A mock-up drawing of Space Force uniforms that began orbiting social media on Tuesday has been debunked.

A U.S. military spokesperson informed military.com that the uniform designs did not come from the actual U.S. Space Force, a new branch of the military founded during the Trump administration in 2019.

"The uniform graphic being shared on social media is not an official U.S. Space Force uniform design concept," Maj. Nick Mercurio said Tuesday. "The Space Force service dress uniform is still in development."

Also read: Space Force Mocked by Everyone for Calling Members 'Guardians': 'How Is This NOT a Joke'

The news comes as something of a relief for the countless Twitter users who criticized the fake uniforms, likening them to a bad imitation of Star Trek uniforms mixed with cross-walk guards.

"They stole the emblem logo from Star Trek. Then they stole the name from Guardians of the Galaxy. They then stole the uniform from Starship Troopers," wrote one user. "No original thought and no clear reason for the existence of this 5th branch of the military! It's a FARCE!"

Others commented that the pretend uniforms are more reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

"Welp. No, crossing guards is not who they remind me of…" one user wrote.

Also read: Steve Carell's 'Space Force' Renewed by Netflix for Season 2

"Can't say I did nazi that coming," wrote another.

But to those saying the uniforms resemble Hugo Boss designs, another user made a correction about the history between the fashion designer and the Nazi party.

"Hugo Boss did not design Nazi uniforms, he did manufacture them, was a war profiteering Nazi scumbag who used forced labour, but he did not design the uniforms," the Fake History Hunter account tweeted.

Others criticized the existence of the Space Force altogether.

Also read: Trump Breaks Social Media Silence With All-Caps Tweetstorm

"People are starving and dying, but not to worry-we have Starship Trooper uniforms we'll never use!" one user wrote.

At least when the Space Force releases their real uniform designs, the bar will have been set very low.

For more information on the Space Force, click here. 

See more tweets below.

They stole the emblem logo from Star Trek. Then they stole the name from Guardians of the Galaxy. They then stole the uniform from Starship Troopers.
No original thought and no clear reason for the existence of this 5th branch of the military! It's a FARCE! pic.twitter.com/3GzAQhx2yE
- A Blue Dot in Oklahoma December 29, 2020

Bruh these straight up look like n*zi uniforms https://t.co/vCdRIQFMJ4
- December 29, 2020

The Space Force Guardians look like they work for the Empire. https://t.co/CtBU4K4Df0

- Leslie – 22 to 46.December 29, 2020

RIGHT WING COLUMNIST CALLS OUT POLICE BRUTALITY

Corbella: Police brutality must be stopped

Licia Corbella 

© Provided by Calgary Herald In this still from a court exhibit video, Calgary police Const. Alexander Dunn is shown after he body-slammed a Black female suspect, Dalia Kafi, face first to the floor.


Next to COVID-19, arguably the biggest story in 2020 has been the public outcry against police brutality.

The videotaped killing of George Floyd — a 46-year-old Black man who died after having his neck kneeled upon for almost nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 25 by a white police officer — was the final straw, the catalyst that caused growing rage to erupt against the seeming impunity with which police the world over are able to harm the citizens they are sworn to protect.

Black Lives Matter protests, as well as many rallies calling for the defunding of police, took place across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and in many countries in Africa , decrying police brutality and the lack of accountability for officers who commit crimes or use excessive force.

It’s important to point out that the vast majority of police officers are honourable people who became officers to help others and aid in the delivery of justice. They are, very often, heroic, courageous, compassionate and helpful. But even though bad cops are in the minority, the power entrusted to every sworn officer means the amount of damage one poorly trained, power-hungry, or unstable cop can cause is immense.

The Calgary Police Service is not immune and with the ubiquitousness of video — since the proliferation of smartphones and closed-circuit TV cameras — ordinary citizens have come to realize that a police officer’s version of events (as laid out in notes, in police news releases and even in court) often doesn’t match what the video shows.

On Dec. 10, Alberta Provincial Court Judge Michelle Christopher found Const. Alex Dunn guilty of assault causing bodily harm in connection with his Dec. 13, 2017 assault on Dalia Kafi, a petite Black woman, whose hands were cuffed behind her back when she was thrown to the cement floor of the Calgary Police Service’s arrest processing unit, causing her head to bounce on the floor.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Macdonald testified that he not only witnessed what Dunn did but heard the unmistakable sound of the woman’s head hitting the hard ground.

“I advised him that it was the worst use of force that I had seen,” testified Macdonald, a police officer with 30 years of experience.

Despite that, Dunn was at first suspended with pay for one year and then was brought back to work at a desk job.

Why wasn’t he fired immediately or at least when Calgary’s current Chief Mark Neufeld was sworn in, in June 2019?

In a written statement , Neufeld stated: “In general terms, when it comes to relieving a police officer with or without pay, I am required to follow certain legal procedures outlined in the Police Act. This Act also outlines that an officer can only be relieved without pay in ‘exceptional’ circumstances and there is limited guidance in case law to determine what meets that threshold. We are encouraging the provincial government to provide further clarity around when an officer can be suspended without pay in the upcoming Police Act amendments.”

Why, one has to wonder, is Neufeld getting paid the big bucks — about $300,000 a year — if he’s incapable of determining an exceptional circumstance? And if not him, whom?

© Brendan Miller/Postmedia Mark Neufeld, Calgary Police Chief, speaks to reporters after a day of discussion at City Hall on future policing budgets in Calgary. Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020.

Staff Sgt. Macdonald certainly testified that what Dunn did was exceptional in his 30 years of policing. Now that Dunn has been convicted (he’s awaiting sentencing), he has at long last been suspended without pay. No more fully paid one-year-long vacations for him. But he’s still a police officer, technically. Perhaps it’s time our police chiefs showed some courage and started making case law.

This all begs the question, if Dunn can assault a 120-pound woman with her hands handcuffed behind her back in front of witnesses, under glaring lights and CCTV cameras, what was his conduct like in the shadows?

Is the boldness with which he criminally assaulted Kafi indicative of just how widespread the assaulting of civilians in police custody is?

“There’s not more police violence; there’s not more excessive force situations or abuse of authority misconduct by police officers in the last three or five years; it’s just being exposed,” says Tom Engel, a criminal defence attorney in Edmonton and the chair of the policing committee of the Criminal Trial Lawyers’ Association.

“Most cops can’t stand this kind of behaviour from their fellow officers,” says Engel.

“Reports show that one of the worst things to destroy morale in a police service is police seeing that misconduct from fellow officers goes unpunished and there’s no accountability. They see these officers being promoted and they know that they’re powerless to do anything about it, because if they say anything their career will be over — not the bad cop’s career, but their career,” says Engel.

Sure enough, officers interviewed about Dunn’s behaviour were relieved that he was convicted and won’t be patrolling Calgary streets anymore.

As for promotions, Pat and Irene Heffernan — the grieving parents of 27-year-old Anthony Heffernan — are “dismayed and disgusted” that one of the five officers who attended a wellness check on the youngest of their five children on March 16, 2015, at the Super 8 hotel in northeast Calgary, has been promoted even though he is yet to face a disciplinary hearing into the matter — almost six years after the fact.

“Police Chief Mark Neufeld promoted Sgt. Lon Brewster to Staff Sgt. effective Nov. 18 ,” they complained in a recent letter to the editor — a fact confirmed by the Calgary Police Service.

“As Anthony’s parents, we find it egregious that Brewster has been promoted before the disciplinary hearing has taken place,” they wrote. “In what other organization would somebody be promoted while facing a disciplinary hearing? How can this hearing be unbiased when the chief is the person in charge of the hearing process?”

Excellent questions; lousy answers are forthcoming.

© Provided by Calgary Herald Anthony Heffernan at age 27.

Reached at their Prince Albert, Sask. acreage, the retired school teachers say their son “was an extremely hard worker” — an electrician who was studying towards becoming a master electrician when the pressure of full-time work and studying got to be too much.

Their “bright, generous and loving” son relapsed into using cocaine.

Anthony Heffernan worked mostly in Fort McMurray, but when he was in Calgary he lived with his best friend and older brother Grant, who would not have approved of his brother using drugs. So, Heffernan checked into the hotel off of Barlow Trail and 32 Avenue for one night.

Heffernan was minding his own business, not making any noise and not hurting anyone but himself, when five fully armed Calgary police officers — performing a “wellness check” — kicked in his door, Tasered him twice and shot him four times — all within 72 seconds of first breaking into his room.

Heffernan had been unresponsive to phone calls and knocks on the door, while also missing his checkout time, so a hotel clerk had called the police to see if he was okay.

He was shot three times in the head and once in the torso by Const. Maurice McLoughlin — who discharged his firearm six times, because a disoriented Heffernan was said to be holding a lighter and a syringe. The syringe, as it turns out, didn’t even have a needle — something that should have been easily visible in that small hotel room.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which investigates events where serious injury or death may have been caused by police, recommended that criminal charges be laid in the case , but the Crown prosecutors’ office declined to do so, saying “there was no likelihood of conviction.”

The other officers involved — Const. Carl Johns, Const. Sandeep Shergill, Const. Robert Brauer and Brewster — still face a disciplinary hearing, that has shamefully still not been scheduled almost six years after the shooting. This is described as “due process” by the CPS.

McLoughlin resigned from the CPS, which means he avoids the disciplinary hearing and as a result will maintain a clean record should he want to apply to another police service.

A little more than 10 months after killing Heffernan, McLoughlin was one of three officers involved in the shooting and killing of partial quadriplegic David McQueen on Jan. 25, 2016.

So, how is it possible that the senior officer present when Anthony Heffernan was killed was promoted, even though he hasn’t faced his disciplinary hearing?

“Previous and ongoing conduct matters weigh heavily into promotion decisions and are considered in the context of the officer’s overall performance history,” the Calgary Police Service said in a written statement. “We consider factors like when the incident occurred, what their role was in the incident, whether there is a pattern of misconduct or incompetence, and whether they have demonstrated a commitment to our values over their career.

“In this case, the officer has demonstrated a strong commitment to policing and the community over his 14-year career and has not faced discipline before or since this incident.”

Sadly and tellingly, the Heffernan family — which is suing the CPS in a civil suit — is no longer surprised by any of this.

“There has been zero accountability for our son’s killing,” says Irene. “There’s still no date for the disciplinary hearing.”

© Gavin Young Family members of Anthony Heffernan speak to the media following an ASIRT announcement that there will be no charges in his death at the hands of police.

The 94-page ASIRT report, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by Engel, concluded: “What was evident from the interviews with the first responders is that there was little conversation relating to the formation of a plan as to what they were going to do once access was gained into the suite.”

No plan, but three of the five officers had their guns drawn on a wellness check. At least 23 Canadians have been shot and killed by police in the first six months of 2020, many during wellness checks. Clearly, police are poorly trained in this area .

“ASIRT investigators learned that two of the bullets fired from (McLoughlin’s) pistol travelled in a downward trajectory through Mr. Heffernan’s head and into the floor.”

The report goes on to say: “It was learned . . . that McLoughlin was pointing the muzzle of his pistol in a downward direction as Mr. Heffernan was falling to the floor.”

Anthony Heffernan wasn’t “lunging” towards them; he was falling as a result of being shot.

Heffernan’s shooting was featured prominently in a recently released documentary called No Visible Trauma , which highlights disturbing cases of Calgary police officers not being held to account even after a serious assault of handcuffed citizens was caught on tape and formal complaints were lodged.

The documentary, directed by Robinder Uppal and Marc Serpa Francoeur, both of whom grew up in Calgary, won the audience award at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF.Docs) and is continuing its festival and theatrical run across the country over the coming months. A shorter version of that documentary, called Above the Law, ran on CBC , and can be viewed on YouTube. They have started a GoFundMe page, to help fund their legal defence from a police officer who is suing them. The longer documentary is currently available for streaming through the Metro Cinema in Edmonton: https://bit.ly/NVT_metro-tix

It’s a must-see for citizens who want our police service to serve the cause of justice and not pervert it.

In the meantime, Alberta Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu says he’s intent on modernizing the Police Act.

Madu, the first Black justice minister in Canadian history, has held meetings with stakeholder groups, including cultural communities, throughout the fall. The meetings included discussions about complaints processes, officer discipline and civilian oversight. As well, those topics are covered in an online public survey that’s part of the Police Act review , which is currently open until Jan. 4.

“The Police Act has gone largely unchanged since it was introduced in 1988, and this review will help modernize policing and respond to Albertans’ expectations that police remain accountable to the communities they serve,” Madu said recently.

The Heffernans just want the police brutality to stop and for accountability to occur when it does happen.

“We miss Anthony every day,” says Pat. “Every day is very tough. To lose a child is the most difficult thing. We don’t wish it on anyone.”

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.