It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, October 14, 2021
California to ban gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, generators
One hour's use of a gas-powered leaf blower is equivalent to driving a car 1,700 kilometres in terms of emissions
Author of the article: Lynn Chaya
Publishing date: Oct 13, 2021 •
In an attempt to curb carbon emissions, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Oct. 9 outlawing the use of gas-powered lawn equipment, which is categorized as small off-road engines (SORE).
This includes lawn mowers, chainsaws, leaf blowers, pressure washers and generators.
The bill, AB 1346 , orders state regulators to halt the sale of new gas-powered SORE equipment by Jan. 1, 2024. Purchases made before the deadline may still be used by property owners and professional landscapers.
According to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), there are more small gas-powered off-road engines in California than cars, and they create more pollution. The number of them — 16.7 million — is approximately 21.9 per cent greater than cars, contributing more total nitrous oxide (NOx) and reactive organic gases (ROG) than passenger vehicles
Operating a commercial lawn mower for one hour emits as much pollution as driving a passenger car for about 483 kilometres. Similarly, an hour use of a leaf blower emits pollution comparable to driving a car for about 1,770 kilometres according to CARB statistics.
Due to regulations the agency put in place starting in 1990, small engines are 40 to 80 per cent cleaner today than they were before the start of the program. However, “total smog-forming emissions from small engines are projected to exceed those from passenger cars in the South Coast Air Basin because passenger car emissions will continue to decrease,” the board noted.
“By 2031, small engine emissions will be more than twice those from passenger cars.”
“It’s amazing how people react when they learn how much this equipment pollutes, and how much smog-forming and climate-changing emissions that small off-road engine equipment creates,” Assemblyman Marc Berman, author of the legislation said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
“This is a pretty modest approach to trying to limit the massive amounts of pollution that this equipment emits, not to mention the health impact on the workers who are using it constantly.”
Berman added that the state has allocated $30 million to incentivize landscaping businesses to transition towards zero-emission equipment. The bill reassures the public that there are good zero-emission replacements for these engines, available at low cost.
ALBERTA VOTES
Support for LIBERAL Amarjeet Sohi more than double other contenders in Edmonton mayor's race: Leger poll UCP Mike Nickel continued to poll in second place with 16 per cent support and former city councillor CONSERVATIVE Kim Krushell trailed not far behind with 12 per cent
Author of the article: Dustin Cook Publishing date:Oct 14, 2021 •
Edmonton mayoral candidate Amarjeet Sohi. In a recent poll by Leger, Sohi has 34 per cent voter support, more than double the next closest contender in Mike Nickel with 16 per cent.
PHOTO BY SHAUGHN BUTTS /Postmedia
Amarjeet Sohi has emerged as the frontrunner in the race for Edmonton’s open mayor’s chair with more than double the support of the closest challenger, according to a new Leger poll.
In the poll conducted for Postmedia over the Thanksgiving long weekend, 34 per cent of respondents said they are most likely to vote for the former councillor and federal cabinet minister in Edmonton’s municipal election on Monday. This is an increase from 29 per cent support in Leger’s July survey.
Mike Nickel, current Ward 11 city councillor, continued to poll in second place with 16 per cent support and former city councillor Kim Krushell trailed not far behind with 12 per cent. Krushell had the largest increase in support since the July poll where she tallied only five per cent.
Leger executive vice-president Ian Large said the wide lead for Sohi isn’t surprising because of his recognition at the political level, but noted there are still many variables at play before the ballots are counted Monday night. Sohi has the most support from those aged 18-34, at 40 per cent, and Large said typically voter turnout is lower amongst the younger population. As well, 20 per cent of respondents remain undecided on who they would cast a ballot for.
“Age is a really important factor and this is the one that’s utterly unpredictable in all of these polls because it’s about voter turnout. Historically, younger people vote in much lower numbers than older people. Non-ratepayers also don’t tend to vote in the same numbers because they don’t have as much skin in the game,” he said in an interview with Postmedia Wednesday afternoon. “But the fact that Sohi is leading in all the age groups is a very strong indication of the support for him.”
One reason for Sohi’s success could be his differing political views from Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party government, Large said. In Edmonton, 60 per cent said they are more likely to vote for a mayor who opposes the policies of the provincial government. Only 14 per cent said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports the government’s actions.
With many high-profile conflicts between municipalities and the province as well as widespread public anger in the Alberta government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Large said many voters are keen to see the next mayor and council continue to pushback against the province.
“I’m not surprised to see that in Edmonton more of the voters don’t support the policies of the provincial government and so they’re going to support a mayoral candidate that’s going to continue that opposition,” he said.
Other mayoral candidates also saw an increase in support from the July survey, but not as much as the three leaders. Former one-term city councillor Michael Oshry had six per cent of support and Cheryll Watson followed just behind at five per cent. The six other candidates had one per cent support or less. Three per cent of respondents said they wouldn’t be voting.
Top priorities for voters
Issues focused on fiscal restraint and spending are top of mind for Edmonton voters, according to the poll, which highlighted a post-COVID economic recovery as the top priority amongst residents with 29 per cent support. Lowering taxes and reducing the cost and size of the city’s workforce also ranked high among fiscal priorities.
But in Edmonton, reducing poverty was the third-most selected priority with 21 per cent in favour, significantly higher than the 14 per cent in Calgary. Improving and expanding transit infrastructure was also significantly higher in Edmonton than Calgary with 19 per cent support as a top priority compared to 14 per cent.
Although social issues weigh heavily in Edmonton, Large said it’s the fiscal policies that usually garner more weight from residents in making their voting decisions. Only six per cent of respondents said building a stronger relationship with racialized communities is one of their three most important priorities for the next council to address.
“Those social issues are just being eclipsed by the much more obvious ‘where is my next paycheque going to come from’ or ‘how is the next council going to affect my standard of living,’ ” he said. “It’s important to voters because that’s money out of their pocket.” As a non-random internet survey, a margin of error is not reported. If the data were collected through a random sample, the margin of error would be plus or minus 4.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20. A total of 503 Edmontonians were polled between Oct. 8-11.
Wednesday marked the final of 10 days for advance voting in the Edmonton election. Advance voter turnout already doubled the 2017 total as of Tuesday’s vote count with more than 55,000 residents already casting a ballot. Last election, overall voter turnout was 31.5 per cent. Election day is Oct. 18.
New poll suggests mayoral race shaping up for nail-biting finish
The Leger poll found the front-runners are statistically tied, with 27 per cent favouring Gondek and 24 per cent supporting Farkas
Author of the article: Meghan Potkins • Calgary Herald Publishing date: Oct 14, 2021
Campaign signs showing three of the frontrunners in the race for Calgary’s next mayor are seen along 66th Avenue S.W. in Lakeview on Tuesday, October 12, 2021.
Councillors Jyoti Gondek and Jeromy Farkas are in a statistical dead heat in Calgary’s mayoral race with just four days remaining until election day, according to a new poll conducted for Postmedia. The Leger poll found the front-runners are statistically tied, with 27 per cent favouring Gondek and 24 per cent supporting Farkas, with 17 per cent of respondents still undecided on who they would like to replace outgoing Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
The two front-runners have solidified their lead at the head of a pack of 27 mayoral candidates, though Gondek has the momentum having more than doubled her support since Leger’s last municipal poll in July.
“That’s a big jump. She’s obviously taking up a significant number of undecideds, those fence-sitters, since July,” said Ian Large of Leger, whose firm conducted the online survey between Oct. 8 and 11.
“Whereas (Farkas), who is statistically tied with Gondek at 24 per cent, has only increased his support by four per cent.”
In third place is Ward 6 Coun. Jeff Davison with 11 per cent — up from five per cent in July — followed by Brad Field with six per cent and Jan Damery with four per cent.
Large said while Gondek has a slight lead, it’s within the margin of error and she is neck and neck with Farkas heading into the final stretch of the campaign. “It’s too close to call,” he said
.
Mayor candidate Jyoti Gondek speaks as Calgary Chamber held a mayoral debate with the top five candidates Jan Damery, Jeff Davison, Jeromy Farkas, Brad Field and Jyoti Gondek at the Hyatt hotel in Calgary on Wednesday, October 6, 2021.
PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOWICHUK/POSTMEDIA
Farkas’ support remains concentrated among older, male voters, according to the poll, with 36 per cent of those age 55 or older in his favour and just 16 per cent of 35- to 54-year-olds.
“The older voters coalesced early around the conservative candidate,” said Large. “They went early and they went in a group and they haven’t moved. But that demographic is not growing, either.”
However, Farkas’ core voters tend to be the ones that come out to vote, added Large.
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt says Farkas might have a “highly committed floor of voters” but he hasn’t benefited from the fact the campaign has solidified into a two-horse race.
“He needed it to be three, four or five front-runners. He needed a much stronger Jeff Davison, for example, and that’s not happening,” said Bratt.
“And I think there’s been other things that have hurt Farkas since the spring and summer.”
“The anti-vaccine (passport) vote, I think is haunting him. Even (councillors) Chu and Magliocca voted for the vaccine (passport) mandate and Farkas went out on a limb and opposed it,” said Bratt.
Leger’s survey — which included responses from municipal voters in both Calgary and Edmonton — found that 54 per cent said they would vote for a mayor who opposes the policies of Premier Jason Kenney and the UCP.
“Because the party and party platform from the provincial government is so unpopular, I was interested to see if that would in fact influence the voter and it seems that it does,” said Large. “It seems that the mayoral candidates who say, ‘we’re going to go our own way and damn the provincial government, we’re going to do what we think is the right thing to do’ — that seems to be carrying some weight.”
Perhaps not unrelated is data that suggests Gondek continues to be the preferred candidate among former supporters of Calgary’s outspoken mayor: with 44 per cent of former Nenshi voters suggesting they would cast a ballot for the Ward 3 councillor.
But Bratt said Gondek’s challenge will be mobilizing her supporters on election day.
“Nenshi got the young people out but there was enthusiasm for Nenshi that I’m not seeing with Gondek,” said Bratt. “I think they see her as similar, but she doesn’t have the dynamism, the charisma, the newness that Nenshi had in 2010.
“Do her voters come out? We know Farkas’ voters will.”
The poll collected the responses of 502 Calgarians of voting age who are part of Leger’s representative online opinion panel. Technically, the margin of error cannot be determined for an online panel. If the data had been collected through a random sample, the estimated margin of error would be plus or minus 4.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Poll suggests Calgary and Edmonton differ on equalization referendum
Regardless of whether a majority answers yes or no on the equalization referendum, Alberta doesn’t have the power to change the federal program on its own
Author of the article:Madeline Smith Publishing date:Oct 14, 2021
•
Calgary and Edmonton have notably different takes on the upcoming equalization referendum, according to a new poll.
In a Leger survey conducted from Oct. 8 to 11, eligible voters in both cities were asked for their answer on the questions the provincial government has added to municipal ballots. The equalization question asks whether a specific section of the Constitution Act — Canada’s “commitment to the principle of making equalization payments” — should be removed.
Half of Calgary respondents answered yes, while just one-third of those polled in Edmonton agreed. And while 34 per cent of Calgarians polled said no, 41 per cent gave that answer in Edmonton.
Edmontonians were also more likely to give a “don’t know” response, at slightly more than a quarter of respondents, while just 16 per cent of those from Calgary weren’t sure.
The poll collected answers from 502 people in Calgary and 503 in Edmonton through an online panel.
Leger executive vice-president Ian Large said there’s some speculation involved in accounting for the differences between the cities, but it might be partly due to economic views from each.
“It’s a feature of, I think, the sense that Calgary has historically seen themselves as the economic driver of the province,” he said.
“The perception is, ‘We’re the ones that are writing the cheques.’ . . . Calgary may feel a little more hard done by.”
Municipal elections will be held across the province on Monday. There is also an additional provincial referendum question about whether Albertans support moving to year-round Daylight Time, and in Calgary there’s a municipal question asking whether voters support restoring water fluoridation.
Regardless of whether a majority answers yes or no on the equalization referendum, Alberta doesn’t have the power to change the federal program on its own.
Premier Jason Kenney said as recently as Wednesday during a Facebook Live Q&A that the vote is about getting “leverage” with the federal government on equalization reform.
Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt added partisanship may also be at play in the choice voters make.
“While there are conservatives in Calgary who despise Jason Kenney, they may hold their nose and vote yes on equalization changes because it fits with their ideological makeup,” he said. “Edmonton’s a very different city.”
Large added that the poll only shows results from Alberta’s two biggest cities, but the equalization referendum will be a part of municipal ballots across the province. Rural areas, as well as smaller cities such as Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and Red Deer, will be a factor in the final outcome.
Because the poll was conducted through a non-random internet survey, a margin of error can’t be determined. But by comparison, the probability sample of the size collected in both Edmonton and Calgary would have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Deciphering the Philosophers' Stone: How we cracked a 400-year-old alchemical cipher
At the conference, Science History Institute Postdoctoral Researcher Megan Piorko presented a curious manuscript belonging to English alchemists John Dee (1527–1608) and his son Arthur Dee (1579–1651). In the pre-modern world, alchemy was a means to understand nature through ancient secret knowledge and chemical experiment.
Within Dee's alchemical manuscript was a cipher table, followed by encrypted ciphertext under the heading "Hermeticae Philosophiae medulla"—or Marrow of the Hermetic Philosophy. The table would end up being a valuable tool in decrypting the cipher, but could only be interpreted correctly once the hidden "key" was found.
It was during post-conference drinks in a dimly lit bar that Megan decided to investigate the mysterious alchemical cipher—with the help of her colleague, University of Graz Postdoctoral Researcher Sarah Lang.
A recipe for the elixir of life
Megan and Sarah shared their initial analysis on a history of chemistry blog and presented the historical discovery to cryptology experts from around the world at the 2021 HistoCrypt conference.
Based on the rest of the notebook's contents, they believed the ciphertext contained a recipe for the fabled Philosophers' Stone—an elixir that supposedly prolongs the owner's life and grants the ability to produce gold from base metals.
The mysterious cipher received much interest, and Sarah and Megan were soon inundated with emails from would-be code-breakers. That's when Richard Bean entered the picture. Less than a week after the HistoCrypt proceedings went live, Richard contacted Lang and Piorko with exciting news: he'd cracked the code.
Megan and Sarah's initial hypothesis was confirmed; the encrypted ciphertext was indeed an alchemical recipe for the Philosophers' Stone. Together, the trio began to translate and analyze the 177-word passage.
The alchemist behind the cipher
But who wrote this alchemical cipher in the first place, and why encrypt it?
Alchemical knowledge was shrouded in secrecy, as practitioners believed it could only be understood by true adepts.
Encrypting the most valuable trade secret, the Philosophers' Stone, would have provided an added layer of protection against alchemical fraud and the unenlightened. Alchemists spent their lives searching for this vital substance, with many believing they had the key to successfully unlocking the secret recipe.
Arthur Dee was an English alchemist and spent most of his career as royal physician to Tsar Michael I of Russia. He continued to add to the alchemical manuscript after his father's death—and the cipher appears to be in Arthur's handwriting.
We don't know the exact date John Dee, Arthur's father, started writing in this manuscript, or when Arthur added the cipher table and encrypted text he titled "The Marrow of Hermetic Philosophy."
However, we do know Arthur wrote another manuscript in 1634 titled "Arca Arcanorum"—or "Secret of Secrets"—in which he celebrates his alchemical success with the Philosophers' Stone, claiming he discovered the true recipe.
He decorated "Arca Arcanorum" with an emblem copied from a medieval alchemical scroll, illustrating the allegorical process of alchemical transmutation necessary for the Philosophers' Stone.
Richard found the key and used it, along with the cipher table, to decrypt the cipher. Author provided
Cracking the code
What clues led to decrypting the mysterious Marrow of the Hermetic Philosophy passage?
Adjacent to the encrypted text is a table resembling one used in a traditional style of cipher called a Bellaso/Della Porta cipher—invented in 1553 by Italian cryptologist Giovan Battista Bellaso, and written about in 1563 by Giambattista della Porta. This was the first clue.
The Latin title indicated the text itself was also in Latin. This was corroborated by the lack of letters V and J in the cipher table, as V and J are interchangeable with U and I, respectively, in printed Latin text.
This was good news, as Richard had access to Latin statistical models from previous decryption projects. Armed with this information, he set off in search of patterns that would lead him to the cipher "key"—a word or phrase that could be used in conjunction with the cipher table to decipher the text.
Richard soon realized the key was included at the end of the text, which is unusual. It was surprisingly long too, made up of 45 letters—arduous even for today's computer-password standards. The trio would later realize the key was also written elsewhere in the manuscript, hidden in plain sight.
In keeping with the typical encryption practices of the period, Arthur Dee had written the key on the back of the cipher table. It read: "sic alter iason aurea felici portabis uellera colcho," meaning "like a new Jason, you will carry the Golden Fleece away from the lucky Colchian."
An ancient myth
This key is adapted from the last verses of an alchemical poem by Giovanni Aurelio Augurello titled Chrysopoeia (circa 1505), with "chrysopoeia" also being the ancient Greek word for the art of gold-making.
The poem is about the ancient Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts, which was reinterpreted during the early modern period as an allegory for alchemy. In the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, the Argonauts sail to the land of Colchis (in modern-day Georgia) to retrieve the "Golden Fleece." In an alchemical context, the fleece is a symbol for the Philosophers' Stone.
The actual text of the Marrow of the Hermetic Philosophy mentions taking an alchemical "egg"—not further described—from an athanor, which is a type of furnace used for gentle heating over a long period of time.
Afterwards, instructions are given for how long to wait until the different alchemical phases ensue (the blackening, whitening and the red phase). It says the end product—either a silver tincture or the gold-making elixir—will depend on when the process is stopped.
If the directions are followed correctly, the code-cracking reader is promised: "… then you will have a truly gold-making elixir by whose benevolence all the misery of poverty is put to flight and those who suffer from any illness will be restored to health."
Contrary to what was believed for a long time, alchemical recipes do contain chemical processes which can be reproduced in modern laboratories. It's only towards the end (during the production of the Philosophers' Stone) that the recipe becomes too vague to reproduce—at least not without further interpretation.
However, they do sometimes produce a blood-red glass (which is what the stone was said to look like).
Journey to the center of the archive
What can we learn from historical ciphers? Cryptology experts have just scratched the surface of early-modern encryption practices. Much secret alchemical knowledge remains uncovered from a time when making gold and extending the natural limit of life was believed possible through alchemy.
The decryption of this 400-year-old cipher suggests we have much ground to dig through yet. Who knows what other alchemical ciphers are waiting to be discovered in the depths of the archive?
$1.8-Million in Inspections, Repairs to Thermal Generating Station Underway After Incident in Holyrood
Oct 13, 2021 | 6:13 AM
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro is investigating as it makes repairs to one of its thermal generating stations in Holyrood, to the tune of nearly $2-million, following an incident during Hurricane Larry last month.
According to Hydro, unit 3 was being started up in advance of the hurricane. During that process on the morning of September 11, they experienced a boiler waterfall tube failure.
The say the unit tripped off, which it should during a malfunction, resulting in steam being released into the powerhouse. No one was in the immediate area at the time, but it is being treated as a “serious incident” and testing is ongoing.
The total cost of the inspection and repairs to the site is currently estimated at $1.8-million. For context, Hydro says total operations and maintenance costs for the plant in 2020, excluding fuel, were $23-million.
They say there are regulated processes in place through the PUB to manage unexpected equipment outages and associated costs.
The unit is expected to come back online in November.
“Unit 3 at our Holyrood Thermal Generating Station was being started up in advance of Hurricane Larry. During the start up process, on the morning of September 11, we did experience a boiler waterfall tube failure. The unit tripped off, as it should during a malfunction, and there was a release of steam into the powerhouse. There were no people in the immediate area at the time of the incident, however we still treat this as a serious incident and have initiated testing and investigation into the cause. Repairs are being completed and the unit is expected to be returned to service in November.
The total cost of inspections and repair is currently estimated at approximately $1.8 Million. (Note, for context, the operations and maintenance costs for the Holyrood Plant in 2020 (not including fuel) were approximately $23 million).
For all our assets across the system – our fleet of generation, transmission and distribution (including the Holyrood Generating Station), we have regulated processes through the Public Utilities Board in place to manage unexpected equipment outages and the associated costs.”
Line 5 opponents urging White House to reject Canada's 'audacious' treaty gambit
This photo taken in October 2016 shows an aboveground section of Enbridge's Line 5 at the Mackinaw City, Mich., pump station.
Environmental activists in the United States are seizing on Canada's decision to invoke a 44-year-old treaty with the United States as an "audacious," misguided and misleading gambit aimed at short-circuiting Michigan's effort to shut down the Line 5 cross-border pipeline.
Oil & Water Don't Mix, a coalition of Michigan environmental and Indigenous groups that includes the Sierra Club and the Michigan Climate Action Network, said Tuesday it has a 33,000-signature petition that it plans to circulate among U.S. lawmakers this week.
The petition urges U.S. President Joe Biden to support the state of Michigan and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in their legal effort to shut down Line 5, a 68-year-old pipeline that crosses beneath the Great Lakes to deliver crude oil and natural gas liquids from Canada to the U.S. Midwest.
The state has revoked the 1953 easement that allows Calgary-based owner Enbridge Inc. to operate Line 5, citing the risk of a catastrophic spill in the Straits of Mackinac, an ecologically sensitive waterway that links Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
The resulting dispute has lawyers for both sides arguing in court about whether a district court in Michigan has the jurisdiction to decide the fate of the pipeline and Enbridge's efforts to upgrade and fortify the twin lines that run along the lakebed under the straits.
Last week, the federal government filed court documents confirming that it wants formal negotiations with the U.S. under the terms of a 1977 treaty specifically drafted to deal with cross-border pipelines, and asking Judge Janet Neff to hold the case in abeyance.
"We're calling on the president to stand with Gov. Whitmer in rejecting Enbridge's delay tactics," said Sean McBrearty, the co-ordinator for Oil & Water Don't Mix.
McBrearty called the treaty tactic a "direct attack on our sovereignty" that intentionally misinterprets the treaty itself "to make the audacious claim that we must leave a major risk pumping oil indefinitely through the heart of the Great Lakes."
He pointed to the oil spill last week off the coast of California, which was likely the result of an underwater anchor strike -- precisely the sort of peril that Whitmer and her supporters fear could befall the Great Lakes shoreline if Line 5 continues to operate.
"This fight is not really about Enbridge's fuel," he said. "This fight is about Michigan's water."
Andy Buchsbaum, the legal adviser for the National Wildlife Federation, said when it comes to pipeline safety and environmental concerns, Michigan is well within its rights to demand the line be shut down.
"The government of Canada is misrepresenting the terms of the 1977 treaty, which explicitly authorizes Michigan to take exactly the kind of action it did when it issued the order shutting down the pipeline," Buchsbaum said.
The shutdown order "is actually authorized by the same treaty that Canada claims invalidates the shutdown order."
Michigan's attorney general showed similar contempt for Canada's move, disputing the notion that treaty talks are relevant to the legal matters at hand and that the hearings should be paused to allow those talks to proceed.
"Canada is wrong on both counts," Dana Nessel wrote in a response filed in court last week.
"Neither the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty itself nor Canada's recent invocation of the dispute resolution process ... are relevant to the sole legal issue now before this court: whether it has jurisdiction over the state's complaint removed by Enbridge."
Canada's letter, she continues, "is devoid of any legal authority or persuasive argument for its assertion that this court should decline to rule" on the matter.
"Staying this case based on some speculative outcome of international treaty negotiations would deprive the state of its ability to protect these core sovereign interests while indefinitely enshrining the status quo that Enbridge desires."
Proponents of Line 5 say its 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day are a vital energy source for markets across the Midwest, including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Canadian refineries that provide jet fuel to some of Canada's busiest airports.
Enbridge has insisted from the outset that it has no plans to voluntarily shut down the pipeline.
A court-sanctioned voluntary mediation process, which began in April, has failed to yield any agreement and appears to have fallen apart, although the official status of those talks remains unclear.
Court documents show the state has no "desire to continue with the mediation process," while Enbridge has said publicly that it wants the talks to continue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2021.
Canada’s attempt to prevent Line 5 shutdown attacks U.S. sovereignty, opponents say By James McCarten The Canadian Press
Posted October 12, 2021 WATCH: Crude quarrel: Canada invokes treaty to negotiate fate of Line 5 pipeline with U.S – Oct 5, 2021
Environmental activists in the United States are seizing on Canada’s decision to invoke a 44-year-old treaty with the United States as an “audacious,” misguided and misleading gambit aimed at short-circuiting Michigan’s effort to shut down the Line 5 cross-border pipeline.
Oil & Water Don’t Mix, a coalition of Michigan environmental and Indigenous groups that includes the Sierra Club and the Michigan Climate Action Network, said Tuesday it has a 33,000-signature petition that it plans to circulate among U.S. lawmakers this week.
The petition urges U.S. President Joe Biden to support the state of Michigan and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in their legal effort to shut down Line 5, a 68-year-old pipeline that crosses beneath the Great Lakes to deliver crude oil and natural gas liquids from Canada to the U.S. Midwest.
The state has revoked the 1953 easement that allows Calgary-based owner Enbridge Inc. to operate Line 5, citing the risk of a catastrophic spill in the Straits of Mackinac, an ecologically sensitive waterway that links Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
The resulting dispute has lawyers for both sides arguing in court about whether a district court in Michigan has the jurisdiction to decide the fate of the pipeline and Enbridge’s efforts to upgrade and fortify the twin lines that run along the lakebed under the straits. Canada faces closure of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline – May 12, 2021
Last week, the federal government filed court documents confirming that it wants formal negotiations with the U.S. under the terms of a 1977 treaty specifically drafted to deal with cross-border pipelines, and asking Judge Janet Neff to hold the case in abeyance.
“We’re calling on the president to stand with Gov. Whitmer in rejecting Enbridge’s delay tactics,” said Sean McBrearty, the co-ordinator for Oil & Water Don’t Mix.
McBrearty called the treaty tactic a “direct attack on our sovereignty” that intentionally misinterprets the treaty itself “to make the audacious claim that we must leave a major risk pumping oil indefinitely through the heart of the Great Lakes.”
He pointed to the oil spill last week off the coast of California, which was likely the result of an underwater anchor strike _ precisely the sort of peril that Whitmer and her supporters fear could befall the Great Lakes shoreline if Line 5 continues to operate.
“This fight is not really about Enbridge’s fuel,” he said. “This fight is about Michigan’s water.”
What does completion of Line 3 pipeline project mean for Alberta? – Oct 1, 2021
Andy Buchsbaum, the legal adviser for the National Wildlife Federation, said when it comes to pipeline safety and environmental concerns, Michigan is well within its rights to demand the line be shut down.
“The government of Canada is misrepresenting the terms of the 1977 treaty, which explicitly authorizes Michigan to take exactly the kind of action it did when it issued the order shutting down the pipeline,” Buchsbaum said.
The shutdown order “is actually authorized by the same treaty that Canada claims invalidates the shutdown order.”
Michigan’s attorney general showed similar contempt for Canada’s move, disputing the notion that treaty talks are relevant to the legal matters at hand and that the hearings should be paused to allow those talks to proceed.
“Canada is wrong on both counts,” Dana Nessel wrote in a response filed in court last week.
“Neither the 1977 Transit Pipelines Treaty itself nor Canada’s recent invocation of the dispute resolution process … are relevant to the sole legal issue now before this court: whether it has jurisdiction over the state’s complaint removed by Enbridge.”
Canada’s letter, she continues, “is devoid of any legal authority or persuasive argument for its assertion that this court should decline to rule” on the matter.
“Staying this case based on some speculative outcome of international treaty negotiations would deprive the state of its ability to protect these core sovereign interests while indefinitely enshrining the status quo that Enbridge desires.”
Line 5 closure could mean Ontario fuel shortages: experts – May 12, 2021
Proponents of Line 5 say its 540,000 barrels of crude oil and natural gas liquids per day are a vital energy source for markets across the Midwest, including Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Canadian refineries that provide jet fuel to some of Canada’s busiest airports.
Enbridge has insisted from the outset that it has no plans to voluntarily shut down the pipeline.
A court-sanctioned voluntary mediation process, which began in April, has failed to yield any agreement and appears to have fallen apart, although the official status of those talks remains unclear.
Court documents show the state has no “desire to continue with the mediation process,” while Enbridge has said publicly that it wants the talks to continue.
Beirut port blast: Gunfire erupts at protest against judge leading probe
At least six people have been killed and 32 others injured by gunfire in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The shooting began during a protest by the Shia Muslim groups Hezbollah and Amal against the judge investigating last year's blast at the city's port.
They said Christian snipers fired at the crowd to drag Lebanon into strife.
Huge tension surrounds the probe into the port explosion. Hezbollah and its allies claim the judge is biased, but the victims' families support his work.
No-one has yet been held accountable for the August 2020 disaster, in which 219 people were killed and swathes of the city were devastated.
What began as a protest outside the Palace of Justice - the main court building - by hundreds of people arguing the investigation had become politicised and demanding the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar escalated remarkably quickly, reports the BBC's Anna Foster in Beirut.
Heavy gunfire erupted in the streets as the crowd passed through a roundabout in the central Tayouneh-Badaro area.
Residents fled as Shia and Christian militia fighters exchanged fire in the streets
Local residents had to flee their homes and schoolchildren ducked for cover under their desks as men armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers - believed to have been members of Shia and Christian militias - exchanged fire in the streets.
The clashes continued for several hours before calm was restored.
Hospital and military sources said some of those killed were shot in the head. They included a woman who was hit by a stray bullet while inside her home.
Hezbollah and Amal accused a staunch opponent, the Christian Lebanese Forces party, of being behind the attack on the protesters.
Lebanese army soldiers and ambulances rushed to the scene after the gunfire erupted
The two Shia organisations said demonstrators were "subject to an armed attack by groups from the Lebanese Forces party that deployed in neighbouring streets and on rooftops, and engaged in direct sniping activity and intentional killing".
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea condemned the violence and appealed for calm.
"The main cause of these developments lies in the presence of uncontrolled and widespread weapons that threaten the citizens at any time and in any place," he tweeted.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on everyone to "calm down and not be drawn into sedition for any reason whatsoever".
The army said it had deployed troops to search for the assailants, and warned that they would "shoot at any gunman on the roads".
Hezbollah and Amal supporters had gathered earlier to demand the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar
Earlier on Thursday, a court dismissed a legal complaint brought by two former government ministers and Amal MPs - Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zaiter - whom Judge Bitar has sought to question on suspicion of negligence in connection with the port explosion.
The two men, who deny any wrongdoing, accused the judge of bias.
Families of the victims had condemned the complaint, which caused the probe to be suspended for the second time in three weeks.
They have accused the country's political leadership of trying to shield itself from scrutiny.
"Keep your hands off the judiciary," they warned the cabinet on Wednesday after ministers allied to Hezbollah demanded that Judge Bitar be replaced.
The port blast happened after a fire detonated 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a combustible chemical widely used as agricultural fertiliser, that had been stored unsafely in a port warehouse for almost six years.
Senior officials were aware of the material's existence and the danger it posed but failed to secure, remove or destroy it.
Watch: People run for cover as gunfire sounds in Beirut
CHINESE AUTHORITIES ARE TESTING THOUSANDS OF BLOOD SAMPLES FROM WUHAN
THE BLOOD "ABSOLUTELY WILL CONTAIN VITAL CLUES."
In coming weeks, Chinese authorities say they plan to run tests on thousands and thousands of blood samples from Wuhan, the original epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are up to 200,000 blood samples stored at the Wuhan Blood Center dating back to 2019, potentially giving officials access to a sort of real-time historical archive that could help reveal how the first coronavirus outbreaks began and spread, officials at China’s National Health Commission told CNN. The samples, which were previously identified as potentially being crucial evidence by the World Health Organization’s probe into China, have not yet been tested or examined.
Why the wait? Chinese authorities say that they were waiting for the end of a two-year grace period during which the blood samples could have become evidence in any lawsuits related to their donors or the donations themselves, according to CNN. Now that we’re almost at the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 cases, officials have started to prepare for the tests so that they can start as soon as possible.
“This provides the closest in the world we’ve seen of real-time samples to help us understand the timing of the outbreak event,” Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for global health Yanzhong Huang told CNN.
If researchers are lucky, the blood samples will show when antibodies against the coronavirus first started to appear, which would serve as a proxy for when and where the pandemic began. But the biggest question, unfortunately, is whether Chinese authorities will handle the research with their usual level of secrecy — or if transparent reports will make it to the outside world.
The blood “absolutely will contain vital clues,” Columbia University epidemiologist Maureen Miller told CNN, but that won’t make a difference if no one else gets to access them.
“No one will believe any results that China reports unless there are qualified observers at the very least,” she added.
Covid: New WHO group may be last chance to find virus origins
Published19 hours ago
Questions around the origins of Covid-19 centre on Wuhan, where the virus first emerged
The World Health Organization (WHO) says a new taskforce may be the last chance to find the origins of Covid-19.
It has nominated 26 experts to join the body, the Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago).
More than a year-and-a-half since the virus was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the question of how it first emerged remains unclear.
The team will consider if the virus jumped from animals to humans in Wuhan markets or leaked in a lab accident.
China has strongly refuted the second theory.
In February, a WHO team tasked with investigating Covid's origins flew to China and concluded that the virus had probably come from bats but that more work was needed.
Media caption,Covid-19 and Wuhan: Why don't we know more?
But the WHO's director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, later said the investigation had been hampered by a lack of data and transparency from China.
The proposed members of the Sago group include six experts who visited China as part of the previous team.
Aside from coronavirus, Sago will also look into the origins of other high-risk pathogens.
"Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks," said Dr Tedros said.
In a joint editorial in the journal Science, Dr Tedros and other WHO officials said "a lab accident cannot be ruled out".
Michael Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director, said Sago's work may be the "last chance to understand the origins of this virus".
The announcement of the new group comes as CNN reported that China was preparing to test tens of thousands of blood bank samples taken in the early months of the pandemic.
But Chen Xu, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said Sago's work should not be "politicised".
"It is time to send teams to other places," he said.
WHO caught up in geopolitical fight
Tulip Mazumdar, Global Health Correspondent
Almost two years since the start of the pandemic, we still don't know how or when the deadly Sars-Cov-2 virus emerged. Investigating new viruses is always extremely complex, but scientists have been able to find the source of the two previous coronavirus outbreaks - both of which have emerged from animals.
It's been nine months since the last WHO-convened mission returned from Wuhan, saying a similar animal spillover was the most likely source of the pandemic. But questions continue to be raised about a potential accident at a Wuhan lab which studies coronaviruses and keeps thousands of bat samples. China has strenuously denied this.
The WHO says China still hasn't shared crucial data from the earliest days of the pandemic. The UN agency - which has been caught in the firing line between China and the US's bigger geopolitical fight on this issue - has been hardening its language on investigations into a lab leak theory.
The science is becoming increasingly politicised, with China so far refusing to allow international scientists back into the country.
It's hoped this new Sago body with experts from 26 different countries will be able to break this impasse, and finally get some much needed answers so the world can better prepare for future outbreaks.
North Korea's Kim Jong-un faces 'paradise on Earth' lawsuit
The plaintiffs demand 100m yen in compensation but accept it might not be paid
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un should pay damages for a 1959-84 scheme that saw more than 90,000 people move there from Japan, a Tokyo court is hearing.
The repatriation campaign was later condemned by some as "state kidnapping".
Five people who took part and later escaped the North have demanded 100m yen ($880,000; £640,000) each.
They do not expect Mr Kim either to appear or to pay up, but hope a ruling may help in future negotiations.
Thousands of Koreans moved to Japan - many against their will - during its colonial rule of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. The vast majority of people involved in the resettlement scheme were ethnic Koreans being sold a vision of the "Fatherland" as "paradise" - and some Japanese spouses went with them.
Both North Korea and Japan supported the campaign.
The North was desperate to rebuild after being ravaged by World War Two and the Korean War.
Japan regarded the Koreans as outsiders and was happy to help with their relocation.
The combination of discrimination in Japan and North Korean propaganda promising an idyllic life of free healthcare, education and jobs in the homeland was a huge temptation.
For many the reality was forced manual labour in farms, mines or factories, violation of human rights, and an inability to leave.
The court case has a symbolic feel - the five plaintiffs accept that.
The North needed labour after devastation in the Korean War
The four ethnic Koreans, and the Japanese wife of a Korean who joined the programme, all later defected back to Japan.
The plaintiffs' lawyer, Kenji Fukuda, has said: "We don't expect North Korea to accept a decision nor pay the damages."
But if they win "we hope that the Japanese government would be able to negotiate with North Korea".
The countries have no formal diplomatic relations.
Mr Kim is named as he is the current leader of the North.
The lawsuit claims the North deceived plaintiffs by "false advertising to relocate to North Korea", where "the enjoyment of human rights was generally impossible".
One of the plaintiffs, ethnic Korean Eiko Kawasaki, 79, told the Associated Press none would have gone if they had known what awaited. She fled the North in 2003, leaving behind her adult children.
Another struggler for compensation is Lee Tae-kyung, who sailed to the North aged eight in 1960.
He told the New York Times: "We were told we were going to a 'paradise on Earth'. Instead, we were taken to a hell and denied a most basic human right: the freedom to leave."
Mr Lee fled North Korea after 46 years.
Waste electronics will weigh more than the Great Wall of China
By Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Published1 day ago
Less than 20% of electronic waste globally is recycled, experts say
The "mountain" of waste electronic and electrical equipment discarded in 2021 will weigh more than 57 million tonnes, researchers have estimated.
That is heavier than the Great Wall of China - the planet's heaviest artificial object.
They point out that the value of those discarded materials is vast.
According to a 2019 report by the World Economic Forum, the world's electronic waste has a material value of $62.5 billion (£46 billion) - more than the GDP of most countries.
"A tonne of discarded mobile phones is richer in gold than a tonne of gold ore," said Dr Ruediger Kuehr, director of the UN's Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) programme.
The waste includes items such as mobile phones, fridges, kettles, televisions and electric toys or sports equipment.
Stockpiling gadgets
Globally, the amount of so called e-waste generation is growing by two million tonnes every year. It is estimated that less than 20% is collected and recycled.
Pascal Leroy, who is director general of the expert group the WEEE Forum, says by making products with shorter lifespans and limited repair options, manufacturers have a major role to play in the increase of waste.
"Fast mobile phone development, for example, has led to a market dependency on rapid replacement of older devices," he told BBC News.
Consumers can also be reluctant to recycle their personal electronic equipment. In the UK, a 2019 study by the Royal Society of Chemistry found that as many as 40 million unused gadgets are languishing in our homes. That puts pressure on the supply of many valuable and rare elements.
Elements in smartphones that could run out in the next century:
Gallium: Used in medical thermometers, LEDs, solar panels, telescopes and has possible anti-cancer properties Arsenic: Used in fireworks, as a wood preserver Silver: Used in mirrors, reactive lenses that darken in sunlight, antibacterial clothing and gloves for use with touch-screens Indium: Used in transistors, microchips, fire-sprinkler systems, as a coating for ball-bearings in Formula One cars and solar panels Yttrium: Used in white LED lights, camera lenses and can be used to treat some cancers Tantalum: Used in surgical implants, electrodes for neon lights, turbine blades, rocket nozzles and nose caps for supersonic aircraft, hearing aids and pacemakers
"Consumers want to do the right thing but need to be adequately informed and a convenient infrastructure should be easily available to them so that disposing of e-waste correctly becomes the social norm," added Pascal Leroy. He also pointed out that recycling electronics, rather than throwing them away, also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
"Every tonne of WEEE recycled avoids around two tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions," he said. "So this is more important than ever as our governments go into COP26 to discuss global action to reduce carbon emissions."
