YIPPEE-KI-YAY! KENNEY GOVERNMENT EXEMPTS WEEKEND RODEOS FROM A FEEBLE COVID-19 RULE


JASON KENNEY CELEBRATES THE BEST SUMMER EVER ™ AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE IN JULY 

(PHOTO: CHRIS SCHWARZ, GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA).

Alberta Politics

DAVID CLIMENHAGA
POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 05, 2021

Friday’s jaw-dropping “Kenney Pennies” announcement may have included a few feeble temporary measures to slow surging COVID-19 infection rates and ease the strain on the fraying health care system, but it took less than 24 hours for word to leak the Alberta government has created special exemptions for rodeos.

So while as of yesterday restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, nightclubs and the like were required to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m., it turns out rodeo beer gardens will be allowed to go on serving till 2 a.m.


Alberta culture, as imagined by that old Ottawa hand, Mr. Kenney (Photo: Originator not identified).

Yesterday morning, sharp-eyed Facebookers spotted Airdrie Pro Rodeo cheerfully announcing “the Provincial Government has granted us an exception for our FCA Rodeo September 4th & 5th. Therefore beer gardens will carry on as usual and will be open until 2am.”

As this is written, presumably, rodeo goers in the bedroom community of 70,000 north of Calgary, where the full vaccination rate is said to be well under 60 per cent, have lots of time to chug more beers and celebrate the infectious end of Alberta’s Best Summer Ever ™.

Similar exemptions were soon discovered at other Alberta weekend rodeos in Ponoka, Rockyford, and Benalto. This being Alberta, there are likely more.

But that’s just the way we roll here in Wild Rose Country.

If you’re a friend of the United Conservative Party, or better yet a Friend of Kenney (FOK), you don’t have to phone up and beg for an exemption. Someone will phone you.

And if there aren’t any exemptions, restrictions tend to be timed to take place after events the premier wants to happen – and Mr. Kenney loves rodeo. (What’s with that, anyway? Is it because he spent so many years in Ottawa he thinks that’s the real Alberta?)


Indeed, it was Mr. Kenney’s determination to reopen in time for the Calgary Stampede in July that is credited for some of the current Delta-variant-fuelled coronavirus surge that has ICU occupancy at 95 per cent province-wide. And God forbid, as Mr. Kenney put it in Friday’s news conference at which he announced those $100 gift cards for tardy vaccine recipients, that we should ever have to re-close!


Progress Alberta’s Jim Storrie (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).

If you’re not an FOK, it can be a little harder to get permission to break the rules, but not impossible.

CTV Calgary reporter Timm Bruch tweeted last night that Alberta Health “reached out” to Calgary Pride, which had been denied a liquor licence under the new restrictions, to advise them they too had an exemption to serve alcohol into the wee hours last night and tonight.

Needless to say, these exemptions may make political sense, but they don’t make any sense from a public health perspective. Alas, as has become increasingly evident over the past year, the office of Alberta’s chief medical officer of health is now a political office.

As the Progress Report’s Jim Storrie asked yesterday, “You ever hear that bit about how conservatism is all about defining one group that has to obey the law but isn’t protected by it and another group that gets protected by the law but doesn’t have to obey it?”

Well, that’s Alberta in a beer glass.

Meanwhile, COVID infection rates and chronic understaffing has Alberta Health Services so far behind the 8-ball it’s admitted to signing deals with staffing agencies to hire contract nurses from other provinces to address staff shortages in Alberta hospitals.

The admission came in the form of an email to the labour relations director of United Nurses of Alberta, which represents more than 30,000 Alberta nurses, conceding that AHS did intend to hire contract nurses during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

By the way, the email said, AHS will be dropping its August labour board complaint in which it accused the union of bargaining in bad faith by saying AHS was using staffing agencies to hire contract nurses and planning to pay them more than UNA members are paid now.

In its current negotiations with UNA for a new collective agreement, AHS is demanding pay cuts of 3 per cent from every one of its RNs and RPNs!

You’d almost think, at a time like this, it would make more sense to stop trying to cut nurses’ pay and keep making bars close early!

Three rodeos granted exemption to 10 p.m. liquor sales curfew not long after those rules were unveiled.

Author of the article: Brodie Thomas
Publishing date: Sep 04, 2021 • 

CALGARY HERALD

 

Three Alberta rodeos were granted exemptions to new temporary limits on the sale of alcohol after 10 p.m. 

PHOTO BY NICOLE BENGIVENO /NYT

Three rodeos received exemptions from new COVID-19 public health restrictions limiting alcohol sales, not long after those rules were unveiled.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced Friday a curfew on liquor sales in licensed establishments after 10 p.m., part of rules and recommendations meant to quell the spread of COVID-19 during this current fourth wave.

Ponoka Mayor Rick Bonnett said the provincial government found his town and others a “grey area” that allowed them to avoid the newly implemented liquor sales limits for its long weekend rodeos.

Bonnett said the Ponoka’s Stampede was already hampered earlier this summer because it was set to take place just before the July 1 reopening. Organizers moved it to the Labour Day long weekend.

“We put together the (event), and here on Friday at noon the government and Alberta Health comes out with the shutdown again, after ticket sales had been done,” he said.

Bonnett said the Saturday night concert following the chuckwagon races is a popular event, and stopping alcohol sales in the middle would not have been ideal.

“I think we’d incite a riot if we told people at 10 o’clock, halfway through a concert, that the bar was closing. I don’t think we want to see what could happen with 3,000 or 4,000 people getting upset.”

Bonnett reached out to his area MLA, Ron Orr, and was told special event licences were not on the order signed by chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw on Friday.

“The cabinet committee obviously was contacted,” said Bonnett. “We are basically going off what Alberta Health said — that they didn’t have special events listed in there.”

But Hinshaw’s order specifically lists “Special Event Licenses” under heading 5.4, noting persons who hold these licences are prohibited from selling liquor after 10 p.m.

In an emailed statement, an Alberta Health spokesperson said selected once-a-year events have been granted a public interest exemption over the course of the pandemic, adding these exemptions are not new.

“Exemptions are granted due to the event’s importance to the local economy and community,” read the statement. “Current exemptions are all for open-air events. Each event is considered individually, and mask requirements continue to apply to any indoor component.”

Alberta Health said three exemptions were granted — for the Ponoka rodeo, the Airdrie Rodeo, and the Cochrane rodeo.

When reached by Postmedia Saturday afternoon, organizers of the Cochrane Lions Club Rodeo said in an email they were not granted an exemption and would be following the new COVID-19 rules.

Two rodeos not mentioned by Alberta Health — Daines Ranch Pro Rodeo near Innisfail and Benalto Agricultural Society’s rodeo — both posted on their Facebook pages they had approval to ignore the 10 p.m. liquor curfew.

Bonnett noted the Ponoka Stampede is a huge event in his town, with many business owners relying on the event to break even in a fiscal year. He also said money from the admission to the Stampede goes back into the community and not-for-profit organizations that provide volunteers to work at the event.

“I’m thankful to the government for at least finding us a grey area for the weekend, and I don’t think anyone wants to be law-breaking citizens here,” said Bonnett.

However, Calgary business owner Chris Hewitt said he’s been left scrambling to cancel or reschedule Calgary Pride events he had planned at his establishment, Dickens Pub.

Chris Hewitt, owner of Dickens Pub, poses for a photo inside the bar in this file photo from Nov. 2020. 

PHOTO BY BRENDAN MILLER/POSTMEDIA

“We don’t get any exemptions,” said Hewitt. “Nobody is coming to us with these options.”

He said he felt angry and defeated after hearing about the rodeos’ exemptions. He’s also baffled at how they could get their exemptions so quickly.

“Anybody who’s applied for things from the government knows that they do not turn around in the space of a few hours,” said Hewitt.

He feels it was the rush to reopen for another rodeo event — The Calgary Stampede — that has contributed to this fourth wave.

“All the wrong people are getting rewarded all the time for this behaviour,” said Hewitt.

A PUBLIC GOOD PRIVATIZED

U.S. Power Grid Is At Risk Of Catastrophic Failure

By ZeroHedge - Sep 04, 2021

Future electricity systems must be made more resilient

Prolonged blackouts in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida are a reminder the power grid needs to become more resilient as well as reliable if even more services such as electric vehicles are going to depend on it in the future.

The electricity system is already directly responsible for providing a wide range of energy services in homes, offices, and factories, including space heating, air-conditioning, cooking, refrigeration, and power. The grid is also at the heart of a collection of other critical systems, including oil and gas supply, water and sewerage, transport, communications, public safety, and healthcare, which cannot function properly without it.

In the future, the grid is likely to be responsible for the provision of even more energy services as policymakers push to electrify many remaining services as part of the strategy for achieving net-zero emissions.

But in the rush to electrify the entire energy system, policymakers may be inadvertently increasing the vulnerability of the economy and society in the event of a large-area, long-duration power failure.

Rather than several closely connected but separate systems for electricity, gas, oil, and transport, in the future there will increasingly be only one very tightly integrated system, increasing its vulnerability to catastrophic failure.

The risk created by linking formerly separate systems into a central system prone to a single point of failure has been understood for decades (“Brittle power: energy strategy for national security“, Lovins, 1982). In particular, the more tightly coupled systems become, the greater the risk an unanticipated problem in one part could cascade through the whole (“Normal accidents: living with high-risk technologies“, Perrow, 1999). 

At present, blackouts render some services unavailable (lighting, power), but households and businesses may be able to use others (gas heating, gasoline vehicles). In the future, blackouts could disrupt substantially all energy services.

Grid Resilience

Policymakers will need to pay more attention to the reliability of the electricity system, minimizing the risk of blackouts occurring, usually by ensuring adequate generation is available and the system can absorb shocks. But even in a well-run system, some blackouts are inevitable, so policymakers will also have to pay more attention to resilience, ensuring in the event of failure, the system recovers quickly and adverse consequences are minimized.

“Enhancing the resilience of the nation’s electricity system“ was the focus of a major research study published by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2017.

Researchers identified a range of threats, including cyberattacks, drought, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, operational errors, physical attacks, tornadoes, space weather, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires. Most interruptions to the electricity are usually localized, last for only a few hours, and the results are typically inconvenient rather than critical.

Electricity users with critical needs, such as hospitals, police stations, and nuclear power plants, prepare for temporary interruptions by installing batteries or diesel-fueled generators.

Even so, 1% of diesel generators at nuclear power plants fail to start on-demand and 15% fail after 24 hours of continuous operation. Hospital generators fail to start 10% of the time. Home generators are even less reliable.

But large-area, long-duration interruptions to electric service occur much more frequently than most users assume, with much more serious consequences. 

Massive Blackouts

In the last 40 years, North America has seen a series of large blackouts that have interrupted service to at least 10,000 megawatts of customer load, the equivalent to the entire peak power demand of New York City.

Major outages have included the Northeast blackout in August 2003 (70,000 MW of lost customer load), West Coast blackout in August 1996 (33,000 MW), Quebec’s geomagnetic storm in March 1989 (20,000 MW), the U.S./Canada ice storm in January 1998 (19,000 MW) and Superstorm Sandy in October 2012 (20,000 MW). In the aftermath of large-scale blackouts, many customers have had power restored within a few hours or a day or two, but some customers have been without power for a month or longer.

In the January 1998 ice storm, three out of the four major transmission lines in the Montreal area went off-line, and much of the city lost its water supply after its filtration plant and pumping stations lost power.

Officials considered evacuating the city or moving residents to facilities like Olympic Stadium. Disruptions rippled through food supply chains, transportation, communications, and other economic activities for weeks.

In the south shore area, which became known as the “triangle of darkness”, power remained out for two to three weeks. Grocery stores were unable to open or ran out of basic necessities, gas stations ran out of (or were unable to pump) fuel, and basic transport services were erratic.

Outside North America, the downtown area of Auckland, New Zealand, lost nearly all grid service for five weeks in the summer of 1998 when the four main cables serving the area failed in rapid succession.

Massive power grid failures are uncomfortably common and can leave hundreds of thousands or even millions of customers without electric service for weeks. The consequences will become even more severe in the future if more and more energy services are moved from other systems (such as gasoline, diesel, and natural gas) onto the electric grid.

Policymakers, regulators, and utilities must therefore focus on improving reliability and resilience at the same time as electrification and decarbonization to minimize the threat of catastrophic failure.

Grid Investment

Reliability and resilience are not the same, though they are often closely associated, and the National Academies’ study emphasized the need for more focus on resilience issues in utility planning.

Blackouts during the big freeze in Texas in February 2021 and the Northeast United States in August 2003 were primarily reliability failures, caused by the failure to manage generation properly. But the prolonged power outage expected in Louisiana and the ice storm in Quebec were primarily resilience failures.

Reliability and resilience failures are both low-frequency, high-impact events, which require expensive investments to reduce the expected consequences, making it hard to build support.

Boosting resilience often requires hardening transmission and distribution systems by undergrounding wires, replacing wooden poles with concrete ones, strengthening towers, stockpiling replacement transformers, and raising substations above potential flood levels.

More generally, electricity systems need to build in sufficient spare capacity and redundancy to make them more reliable and more resilient in the event that one or more components fail.

Different customers may put different values on reliability and resilience depending on their circumstances and depending on the length of the service interruption, which makes building a consensus even harder.

For example, hospitals and oil refineries may put a higher value on uninterrupted winter than a residential customer with a backup generator. Short interruptions may be tolerable while long ones are unacceptable.

Electricity suppliers often find it hard to convince regulators and customers of the need to increase bills – except in the immediate aftermath of a major failure when there may be a narrow window to secure funding for changes.

But if more energy services are to be moved onto the grid, much more will need to be invested in modernizing it to reduce the probability of failure and ensure service can be restored rapidly.

By John Kemp via Zerohedge

Mosaic expects Hurricane Ida to disrupt North American phosphate operations

MINING.COM Staff Writer | September 2, 2021 |

Phosphate storage and shipping complex in Tampa, Florida. Credit: CF Industries

The Mosaic Company (NYSE: MOS) announced on Thursday that its North American phosphate operations are expected to be negatively impacted by damage caused by Hurricane Ida.


Wind damage to the Faustina and Uncle Sam facilities from the storm is expected to result in reduced production as repairs are completed over the next 8 to 9 weeks, the company said. The expectations also include estimates of production loss from an August equipment failure at the company’s New Wales facility in Florida.
In the third quarter, relative to historical averages, Mosaic said it expects production to be down by approximately 300,000 tonnes. Fourth quarter operating rates are likely to improve sequentially, but production may still be down from historical averages, it added.


IN THE THIRD QUARTER, RELATIVE TO HISTORICAL AVERAGES, MOSAIC SAID IT EXPECTS PRODUCTION TO BE DOWN BY APPROXIMATELY 300,000 TONNES

The hurricane also caused navigational issues on the Mississippi River, which could cause congestion during the busy fall application season and create logistical risks for Mosaic’s production.

The company plans to provide an update, including estimated financial impacts of the hurricane, when it reports third quarter results.

As it works on repairs to operations, Mosaic said is also supporting communities through a $100,000 disaster relief grant to the Capital Area United Way and by providing affected employees with access to funds through the company’s employee-to-employee assistance plan.

Based in Tampa, Mosaic currently operates nine facilities (mines and shafts) across the continent, producing potash and concentrated phosphate crop nutrients. Its products account for 73% and 40% of North America’s phosphate and potash annual production, respectively.

Shares of Mosaic Co advanced 1.9% by noon EDT in New York, giving the company a market value of approximately $12.3 billion.

NGO'S A FUNCTION OF LATE CAPITALI$M
Prince Charles' charity boss probed over Saudi reports

Charles' foundation helps jobless people get back into work and start small businesses 

PETER NICHOLLS POOL/AFP/File

London (AFP)

A former aide to Prince Charles has temporarily stepped down from his role heading a charity founded by the British heir after newspaper revelations about his links to a Saudi businessman.

The Prince's Foundation said chief executive Michael Fawcett had agreed to suspend his duties pending an internal investigation into the allegations by The Sunday Times and Mail on Sunday.

Fawcett, a former valet to Charles who is said to remain close to Queen Elizabeth II's heir, is alleged to have coordinated work to grant a royal honour and even UK citizenship for Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz.

The Saudi businessman had donated large sums to restoration projects of particular interest to the Prince of Wales. Mahfouz reportedly denies any wrongdoing.

Charles' foundation, which helps jobless people get back into work and start small businesses, said it took the newspaper reports "very seriously".

"Michael fully supports the ongoing investigation and has confirmed that he will assist the investigation in every way," it said.

As a trusted valet, Fawcett would squeeze Charles' toothpaste onto his brush and help to dress him, according to reports.

"I can manage without just about anyone except Michael," the prince was said to have once commented.

In 2003, Fawcett was cleared of allegations of financial misconduct over the sale of unwanted royal gifts.

He was appointed as head of the foundation in 2018 following a reorganisation of Charles' charities.

© 2021 AFP

UPDATED

Montenegro police clash with protestors as ethnic tensions flare over Serbian church ceremony

Monetenegrin Orthodox Christians gather in front of the orthodox cathedral in Podgorica, on September 4, 2021, to show support for the enthronement of the new bishop amid divisions over the issue. 

© Savo Prelevic, AFP

Issued on: 05/09/2021 - 10:48
Text by: NEWS WIRES|
Video by: Carys GARLAND

Police in Montenegro on Sunday dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in the historic city of Cetinje to block the inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the tiny Balkans nation.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters gathered on the main square, about 100 metres from a 15th century monastery where the new Metropolitan of Montenegro Joanikije is to be enthroned later on Sunday, state television reported.

The planned event has exacerbated ethnic tensions in the country, which broke away from Serbia in 2006.

While the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) is the dominant religion in Montenegro, critics accuse it of serving the interests of Belgrade.

And the government that assumed power at the end of the 2020 is accused by its opponents of being too close to the church.

But nearly a third of Montenegro's 620,000 population identifies as Serb and some even refuse to acknowledge Montenegro's independence.

Opponents of the inauguration set up barricades on Saturday to block access roads to Cetinje.

Demonstrators shouted "This is not Serbia!" and "Long live Montenegro!" on the main road linking Cetinje to the capital Podgorica on Saturday.

Many spent the night around fires they lit to keep warm, an AFP correspondent said.

'Defending our dignity'

The protesters hope to prevent SPC leaders, including its patriach Porfirije, from entering into the monastery, the SPC seat in the country but which is seen as a symbol of national identity by many Montenegrins.

But Joanikije and Porfirije arrived in front of the monastery by helicopter Sunday, surrounded by police, images released by the daily Vijesti showed.

"I am here to show my love for the country," said one protester, Saska Brajovic, 50.

"We are not asking for anything from anyone else, but we are dismissed by the occupying Serbian Church. We are here defending our dignity," Brajovic, who spent the night at a barricade, told AFP.

The protesters are backed by the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) of President Milo Djukanovic.

Djukanovic had been eager to curb the SPC's clout in Montenegro and build up an independent Orthodox church.

But in August 2020 elections the DPS lost -- for the first time in three decades -- to an opposition bloc led by SPC allies.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, who is close to the Serbian Orthodox Church, has accused Djukanovic of having deliberately stocked the recent tensions.

Metropolitan Joanikije was named to his new post in May, after the death of his predecessor Metropolitan Amfilohije from Covid-19. He had run the church in Montenegro since 1990.

(AFP)

Montenegro clashes ahead of Orthodox leader's inauguration

Issued on: 04/09/2021 

By Saturday evening, all roads into Cetinje had been blocked 

SAVO PRELEVIC AFP

Cetinje (Montenegro) (AFP)

Protesters clashed with police Saturday in the southern Montenegrin city of Cetinje as ethnic tensions rose a day ahead of the inauguration of the new head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the tiny Balkans nation.

Hundreds of protesters forced their way past police cordons on the outskirts of Cetinje and put up barricades blocking access to the historic city, once the royal capital, an AFP correspondent reported.

Demonstrators shouted "This is not Serbia!" and "Long live Montenegro!" on the main road linking Cetinje to the capital Podgorica.

By Saturday evening, all roads into the city had been blocked.

Police and special forces were deployed around the monastery itself, but have not for the moment intervened.

Sunday's enthronement of the new Metropolitan of Montenegro Joanikije has exacerbated ethnic tensions in this country, which broke away from Serbia in 2006.

Nearly a third of Montenegro's 620,000 population identifies as Serb and some even refuse to acknowledge Montenegro's independence.

Riot police have been deployed around the monastery 

SAVO PRELEVIC AFP

While the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) is the dominant religion in Montenegro, critics accuse it of serving the interests of Belgrade.

The government that assumed power at the end of the 2020, is accused by its critics of being too close to the church.

Thousands protested last December when it amended a controversial law that had aimed to make hundreds of Serbian Orthodox monasteries Montenegrin state property.

Montenegro's President Milo Djukanovic, whose party passed the original law, had been eager to curb the SPC's clout in Montenegro and build up an independent Orthodox church.

But in August 2020 elections his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) lost -- for the first time in three decades -- to an opposition bloc led by SPC allies.

The latest protests were called by a number of organisations as well as the DPS.

Critics of the Serbian Orthodox Church accuse it of serving the interests of Belgrade SAVO PRELEVIC AFP

President Djukanovic himself arrived at the city on Saturday evening, having earlier announced that he would join the protests against the ceremony.

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, who is close to the SPC, has accused Djukanovic of having deliberately stocked the recent tensions.

Metropolitan Joanikije was named to his new post in May, after the death of his predecessor Metropolitan Amfilohije from Covid-19. He had run the church in Montenegro since 1990.

© 2021 AF

Montenegro: Tensions erupt over Serbian church leaders

Protesters have blocked roads in Montenegro as the Serbian Orthodox Church prepares to inaugurate Montenegro's next top cleric. They reportedly threw stones at police, shouting: "This is not Serbia."


The small Balkan country remains deeply divided over its ties with the neighboring Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox Church


Police fired tear gas and began to take down barricades Sunday in Cetinje, Montenegro ahead of the inauguration of the new leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country.

Sunday's planned ceremony in the historic Montenegrin city of Cetinje has infuriated opponents of the Serbian church. Jasmin Mujanovic, an expert in Southeast European affairs, posted some videos of the clashes on Twitter.

The small Balkan nation declared independence from neighboring Serbia in 2006, but some Montenegrins remain divided over their country's relations with Serbia and the Serbian Orthodox church — Montenegro's dominant religious institution. Around 30% of Montenegro's population consider themselves Serb.

The inauguration is set to take place in a monastery in Cetinje, the one-time capital of Montenegro

Since its independence, some Montenegrins have called for a new Orthodox Christian church that is separate from the Serbian one.
What is happening in Cetinje?

Protesters in Cetinje waved Montenegrin flags, as dozens set up road barriers with garbage containers, car tires and stones to block entrance to the city.

They said their goal was to prevent Metropolitan Bishop Joanikije II and other church and state officials from entering the city for the inauguration, the local Vijesti newspaper reported.

By Saturday evening, protesters had blocked all the roads into the city of Cetinje.

Patriarch Porfirije, head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, arrived in the capital, Podgorica, on Saturday evening.

Porfirije is scheduled to attend the inauguration of Joanikije, whose predecessor as the church's leader in Montenegro, Amfilohije, died in October last year following COVID-19-related complications.

Montenegrin state RTCG broadcaster reported that demonstrators managed to break through a police barricade at the entrance to the city and threw stones at officers, yelling: "This is Montenegro!" and "This is not Serbia!"

Last month, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Cetinje, demanding that the inauguration take place elsewhere. The church has refused to modify its plans.

From rescues to romance: Top moments at Tokyo's Paralympics

Tokyo's Paralympic mascot Someity was plastered across the city during the Games, which end Sunday 

Kazuhiro NOGI AFP/File

Issued on: 05/09/2021 
Tokyo (AFP)

A secret evacuation from Kabul, a new British record and a post-race proposal -- there was no shortage of memorable moments at Tokyo's Paralympics, held after a year-long pandemic postponement.

As the Games draw to a close Sunday, AFP recaps some of the stories that will be remembered:

- Afghan team escapes Kabul -

Afghanistan's swift fall to the Taliban last month left the country's two Paralympic athletes trapped, with no way to leave Kabul and their dreams of competing in Tokyo seemingly over.

At the opening ceremony, the Afghan flag was carried by a Japanese volunteer -- but four days into the Games, officials announced that Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli had made it to Japan.

Zakia Khudadadi was one of two Afghan Paralympians who made it to Tokyo after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban 

Philip FONG AFP/File

Details of their evacuation via Paris had been kept secret, in what International Paralympic Committee spokesman Craig Spence described as a "major global operation".

"Both athletes are here in Tokyo to fulfil their dreams, sending out a very strong message of hope to many others around the world," Spence said.

Khudadadi, 22, fought in the Paralympics' first-ever taekwondo bout, while Rasouli, 26, took part in a long jump event, having missed the 100m sprint he had trained for.

- Fencing's 'Bebe' defends title -

Fencing icon Beatrice "Bebe" Vio, one of the world's best-known Paralympians, defended her Rio gold in scintillating form.

The 24-year-old, who had both forearms and legs amputated when she contracted meningitis aged 11, beat China's Zhou Jingjing 15-9 to win Category B in the women's individual foil.

Italy's Beatrice Vio, one of the world's best-known Paralympians, defended her Rio gold in sparkling form 

Behrouz MEHRI AFP/File

The Italian sensation is known for her lightning speed and banshee cries on the piste, and was one of nine Paralympians featured in the acclaimed documentary "Rising Phoenix".

And her passion extends beyond the arena: she also works as a motivational speaker, author, actor, TV host and disability campaigner.

It was Vio's second gold at her second Games after she stunned firm favourite Zhou to win at Rio 2016 aged just 19.

- Team GB's wheelchair rugby triumph -

A shock gold medal for Britain's wheelchair rugby players was the first time a European team has triumphed at the Paralympics in the high-impact sport once known as "murderball".

They upset the odds by beating the heavily favoured US team 54-49 in the final, while Japan took bronze.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be coming away with a Paralympic gold medal," said Britain's Stuart Robinson.

Britain's wheelchair rugby team became the first Europeans to take a Paralympic gold

 Behrouz MEHRI AFP/File  IS BRITAIN STILL EUROPEAN AFTER BREXIT?!

"For the past four or five years we've been building towards something special."

Jim Roberts, who scored 24 tries in the final to lead his side to victory, was asked how he would celebrate. "I just hope someone's got some beer somewhere," he told the UK's Channel 4 television.

- Storey pedals to glory -

In another coup for Team GB, cycling legend Sarah Storey became Britain's most successful Paralympian with her 17th gold medal, 29 years after her first.

The indomitable 43-year-old's golden hat-trick in Tokyo dethroned swimmer Mike Kenny, who won 16 golds between 1976 to 1988.

Cyclist Sarah Storey became Britain's most successful Paralympian after taking a 17th gold medal

 CHARLY TRIBALLEAU AFP/File

After her women's C4-5 road race victory in treacherous cool, wet and foggy conditions, Storey said she felt "a bit overwhelmed".

"I feel like it is happening to someone else... but crossing the line first felt so good," she said.

"In that last descent I didn't touch my brakes, I just went for it."

- Paralympic proposal -

In the soggy Olympic Stadium on Thursday, Cape Verde's Keula Nidreia Pereira Semedo failed to qualify for the women's T11 200m semifinals -- but there was a surprise consolation.

After the race, her guide runner Manuel Antonio Vaz da Veiga got down on one knee and proposed.

Love was in the air on the Paralympic track after a guide proposed to his running partner Joel MARKLUND OIS/IOC/AFP/File

Video of the magic moment showed both athletes beaming as Semedo accepted.

Vaz de Veiga revealed afterwards that he'd been planning the proposal since his bride-to-be was selected for the Cape Verde squad in July.

"I thought this was the best occasion and the best place to do it," he said.

And Semedo said she had been considering retiring, but the proposal made her rethink.

"Now I have an additional motivation to carry on after the Games, always with him by my side."

© 2021 AFP

Space tourism: Out of reach for most Earthlings

Space tourism began in 2001 with Italian-American millionaire Dennis Tito. Decades later, it's still a preserve of the rich and essentially white



An unbeatable record

Dennis Tito was and always will be the first civilian to travel to space. Tito had been a NASA engineer before turning to finance. He had always dreamed of a trip to space and is said to have paid $20 million to have his dream come true. It was hard convincing the big space agencies, but on April 28, 2001, Tito took a ride on a Soyuz rocket and spent six days at the International Space Station.

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After six months on Mars, NASA's tiny copter is still flying high

It was only supposed to fly five times. 

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, photographed on the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover on June 15, 2021

 Handout NASA/AFP/File


Issued on: 05/09/2021 -

Washington (AFP)

It was only supposed to fly five times. And yet NASA's helicopter on Mars, Ingenuity, has completed 12 flights and it isn't ready to retire.

Given its stunning and unexpected success, the US space agency has extended Ingenuity's mission indefinitely.

The tiny helicopter has become the regular travel companion of the rover Perseverance, whose core mission is to seek signs of ancient life on Mars.

"Everything is working so well," said Josh Ravich, the head of Ingenuity's mechanical engineering team. "We're doing better on the surface than we had expected."

Hundreds of people contributed to the project, though only about a dozen currently retain day-to-day roles.

Ravich joined the team five years ago.

"When I got the opportunity to come work on the helicopter project, I think I had the same reaction as anybody else: 'Is that even possible?'"

His initial doubts were understandable: The air on Mars has a density equivalent to only one percent that of Earth's atmosphere. By way of comparison, flying a helicopter on Mars would be like flying one in the thin air nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) above Earth.

Nor was it easy getting to Mars in the first place. Ingenuity had to withstand the initial shock of takeoff from Earth, and then of the February 18 landing on the red planet following a seven-month voyage through space, strapped to the rover's belly.

Once in its new surroundings, the tiny (four pound, or 1.8 kilogram) copter has had to survive the glacial cold of Martian nights, drawing warmth from the solar panels that charge its batteries during the day. And its flights are guided using an array of sensors, since the 15-minute lag in communications from Earth makes real-time guidance impossible.

- Scouting duties -

On April 19, Ingenuity carried out its maiden flight, making history as the first motorized craft to fly on another planet.

Exceeding all expectations, it has gone on to fly 11 more times.

"We've actually been able to handle winds greater than we had expected," Ravich told AFP.

"I think by flight three we had actually accomplished all of our engineering goals ... (and) got all the information we had hoped to get," said Ravich, who works for NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which developed the helicopter.

Since then, Ingenuity has flown as high as 39 feet (12 meters), and its last flight lasted two minutes and 49 seconds. In all, it has covered a distance of 1.6 miles.

In May, Ingenuity flew its first one-way mission, landing outside the relatively flat "airfield" that had been carefully selected as its initial home.

But not all has gone smoothly. Its sixth flight brought some excitement.

After being knocked dangerously off-balance by a malfunction affecting the photos taken in flight to help it stabilize, the tiny craft was able to recover. It landed, safe and sound, and the problem was resolved.

Ingenuity is now being sent out to scout the way for Perseverance, using its high-resolution color camera.

The purpose is twofold: to chart a path for the rover that is safe, but also which is of scientific interest, notably in geological terms.

Ken Farley, who heads Perseverance's science team, explained how photos taken by Ingenuity during its 12th flight showed that a region dubbed South Seitha was of less interest than scientists had hoped.

As a result, the rover might not be sent there.

- Favorable conditions -

After more than six months on the red planet, the little drone-like craft has gained a growing following on Earth, featured on coffee cups and T-shirts sold on the internet.

What explains its longevity?

"The environment has been very cooperative so far: the temperatures, the wind, the sun, the dust in the air... It's still very cold, but it could have been a lot worse," said Ravich.

In theory, the helicopter should be able to keep operating for some time. But the approaching Martian winter will be challenging.

NASA engineers, now armed with the data from Ingenuity's flights, are already working on its next-generation successors.

"Something in the 20 to 30 kilograms (range) maybe, able to carry science payloads," said Ravich.

Those future payloads might just include the rock samples collected by Perseverance.

NASA is planning to retrieve those samples during a future mission -- sometime in the 2030s.

© 2021 AFP

California winemakers take wildfire-fighting into their own hands

Randy Dunn checks the hose on a fire truck he has purchased to protect his vineyard from California wildfires 

Nick Otto AFP

Issued on: 05/09/2021

Napa (United States) (AFP)

Water tanks, fire trucks and helicopters: California's Napa Valley winemakers are buying their own equipment to protect their property and their pricey vintages from wildfires.

A historic drought driven by man-made global warming has left large tracts of the western United States parched and highly vulnerable to fires.

That includes the world-renowned vineyards that dot central California, producing billions of dollars in wine every year.

And with fires spreading at an alarming rate -- 2021 is shaping up to be the most destructive year on record -- firefighting resources are stretched thin.

"I know that CalFire cannot be everywhere at the same time and that has shown constantly, not only here but in the rest of California," said Randy Dunn, who founded his 200-acre (80-hectare) winery in 1979, referring to the state's firefighters.

"So I feel strongly that, if you have some protection and you stay here, that you got a chance. If you leave, then I think your chance has really dwindled."

Dunn already owned a vintage 1946 fire truck -- old, but still functional -- and has just bought a newer one.

The siren doesn't work, but its hoses are fine, though so far they have not been battle tested -- it's more of something he has been using for fun with his grandchildren.

But he is confident he would be able to use it if a fire breaks out on his property.

Randy Dunn (L) and his son Mike check on their vines at their Central California vineyard Nick Otto AFP

Its purchase was prompted by a close call last year when the Glass Fire scorched more than 67,000 acres of Napa and Sonoma counties -- prime wine-producing country.

"It was about a mile from here," he told AFP pointing to the west, where dried-out pines cling to the dusty earth.

- Smoke-infused vintage -

Wildfires are a part of the natural forest cycle, burning away old vegetation and spurring new growth in their wake.

But their reach, intensity and regularity is increasing across the region, as the planet warms and weather patterns change.

Each fire season brings new worries over how much will burn this year, and how far the wind will carry the embers.

Winemakers like Dunn know that they have to work hard to protect their land.

He has spent thousands of dollars to clear brush and forest around the property.

But the cost pales in comparison with the insurance premium, which has gone up more than five-fold this year to $550,000.

For Mike Dunn, Randy's son, the land management is vital to the fight to protect the vineyards.

The second fire truck adds peace of mind.

"If you have defensible space like we do, it certainly doesn't hurt to have some sort of method to spray any possible (fire) startup.

A scorched hillside from last year's Glass Fire is seen near Angwin, California 

Nick Otto AFP

"If something came shooting over here, we can put it out."

"We've done a lot of work maintaining the forest undergrowth, I think that's really, really important, more so than owning fire trucks."

The Dunn estate produces tens of thousands of bottles of wine each year, matured in casks from Burgundy, France in an on-site cellar.

Each one usually sells for between $85 and $140.

Last year's smoke-infused vintage had to be turned into box wine, and fetched the equivalent of just $6 a bottle.

"The two evacuations last year and the proximity of the fire and the resulting ruined vintage... it's just terrifying," says Mike Dunn.

"It's a way of life that's being threatened."

- Solutions -

With fires raging across California, the Dunns are not alone in fretting if the fire service will have the resources to protect them -- even with the recent addition of a dedicated helicopter and high-tech fire-detection cameras.

Neighbor Michael Rogerson, a relative newcomer to the area and chief executive of an aircraft company, is offering another private-sector solution to worried vintners.

Michael Rogerson, a chief executive of an aircraft company, has two retro-fitted ex-military helicopters that he wants to use for fighting fires 

Nick Otto AFP

He has two retro-fitted ex-military helicopters that he wants to provide as dedicated fire-fighting machines.

"Right now, we're finishing equipping the helicopters and we expect that they would be out in this region in about two weeks," he said.

"We would hope to be able to demonstrate it and show it to CalFire and the US Forestry Service and also to the Napa community, that this is a great solution for them."

With just a few weeks to go until the grape harvest, Randy Dunn is hoping that such solutions will not be needed, and that he won't have to press his engines into action -- at least not for fighting fires.

"We've used the old one for great squirt gun fights with the kids," he says.

"They get their high powered squirt guns, I get my hose."

© 2021 AFP

Berlin universities (almost) banish meat from canteens

Berlin students are pushing for less schnitzel and more beets and lentils in their lunch menus, in an effort to fight climate change.


Berlin universities have almost banished meat from menus


Marinated soy strips in curry and vegetarian dumplings are some of the meals that will be introduced during the new semester at Berlin universities in October 2021.

The 34 student canteens in Berlin, which are run by student support group Studierendenwerk, have revised their menu to now offer 68% vegan and 28% vegetarian meals while only 4% containing meat or fish. The canteens cater to the students of 20 universities.

Students demand climate-friendly meals

Daniela Kummle of Studierendenwerk told DW that they have used the last one and a half years of the pandemic to revise the menu in the canteens so that their offer is more climate-friendly, before adding that they get regular feedback from students asking for more climate-friendly offers.

Student organizations have increased pressure for climate-friendly options

She said the menus change every semester with the new generation of young students so they keep an eye on social and ecological developments, and current trends.

During the pandemic, a number of canteens were open for a click and collect service, as most students were left to work from home.

There are currently 510 meals available, 341 vegan (and 288 of them are also gluten-free)

145 vegetarian (108 of which are also gluten-free), 12 with fish and 12 with meat. Studierendenwerk has also started running two food trucks offering lunch at some of the student residences.

Plant-based products make up the vast majority of the ingredients used by the canteens. Kummle said the procurement of fresh vegetables and fruit depends specifically on seasonal factors.

"In summer, we are able to get more fresh products from regional farmers than in winter," she said. "For our so-called 'Klima-Essen' (a climate-friendly vegan meal), we use ingredients specifically with a low ecological footprint."

The meat and fish offered in the meals meet the requirements of Studierendenwerk existing labels for sustainable agriculture and sustainable fishing.

Canteen meals in Berlin are organized by student organizations

Out with the old, in with the new

Traditional German cuisine is usually heavy on meat, with schnitzel, bratwurst and pork knuckles. But the livestock sector is responsible for the equivalent of 7.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide every year, roughly 14.5% of all human-caused emissions.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) notes that about 65% of the sector's emissions can be linked to cattle in the form of beef and dairy production.

But it's not just emissions that are a problem for the planet: Animal husbandry dominates about three-quarters of agricultural land, pollutes water and drives deforestation, particularly in the Amazon rainforest.

This is not the first time the students have wanted more climate sustainable meals. In 2010, Germany's first vegetarian university canteen was opened on the campus of the Free University.

Later in 2019, a vegan canteen was opened on the campus of Berlin's Technical University, which has been a huge success, more than double the number of visitors than expected.

The Humboldt University in Berlin is also planning to become climate neutral by 2030 by designing a sustainable and climate-neutral university. The Technical University is aiming for climate neutrality by 2045.

Watch video 04:34 Pioneer of vegetarian cuisine: Star chef Andree Köthe