As Spain pledges more La Palma aid, some islanders ask: where's the cash?


The Cumbre Vieja volcano spews lava and smoke while it continues to erupt, 

as seen from El Paso

Marco Trujillo
Fri, November 5, 2021

LA PALMA, Spain (Reuters) - Spain will provide whatever is necessary for La Palma to recover from the destruction wrought by weeks of volcanic eruptions, its prime minster said on Thursday, as some residents said financial aid had been slow to arrive.

Visiting on Thursday, Pedro Sanchez said financial assistance for housing would be tax-exempt and that taxes on air travel to and from the island, part of the Canaries archipelo off northwest Africa, would be subsidised for a year.

"We are not going to spare any resource, energy or personnel to tackle the reconstruction tasks," he said. "The Spanish government is providing all possible resources to ensure the wellbeing, serenity and safety of La Palma residents."

Lava has destroyed more than 2,000 properties on the island since the Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting in mid-September and thousands more have fled their homes as a precaution, prompting the government last month to pledge 225 million euros ($260 million) in aid.

Some 21 million euros of that has been disbursed and Sanchez said his administration would this week transfer a further 18.8 million euros for the agriculture and fishing industries and 5 million euros to tackle the "social aspect" of the crisis.

But in Los Llanos de Aridane, the closest town to the lava flow, some expressed frustration that they had yet to receive any of the promised cash.

"I want to believe (the aid is coming) but time is passing by and we see nothing," said Oscar San Luis outside the local notary's office, where he was waiting to file paperwork to apply for compensation.

"I remain hopeful. If you don't have hope what are you doing with your life?" said the 57-year old, who lost several holiday properties and his avocado plantation to the eruption.

The Canarian regional government said it had hired 30 people to verify claims lodged in a register for compensation.

Speaking shortly after Sanchez's address, Carlos Cordero Gonzalez, who runs a clothes shop in Los Llanos, said it was time for action as well as words.

"Now (the Prime Minister) just needs to say that the money is going to be sent directly to businesses and residents... I hope next week we have the funds in our accounts."

($1 = 0.8678 euros)

(Writing by Nathan Allen; editing by John Stonestreet)

The Lunar Society

by Ben Johnson

The 18th century was a time of change and revolution across the world. Intellectuals and ordinary men alike would gather to discuss anything and everything, from the social order problems of the day, to the latest scientific advances, and the intertwining political and philosophical issues. Clubs were formed in order to allow members the pleasure of enjoying the finest food and wine whilst debating these issues with other like-minded individuals.

The Lunar Society, or Lunar Circle as it was first called, was one such club. It met in and around Birmingham, England between 1765 and 1813. It was the members of this club however, that would set it apart from any other. They cheerfully referred to themselves as the ‘lunatics’, but this could not have been much further from the truth, as the revolutionaries involved would change the face of the world forever.

The Lunar Society was very particular about who was allowed to become a member. An exclusive club, it never had more than fourteen core members, and each member was noted for their special area of expertise including the greatest engineers, scientists and thinkers of the day. Their preferred venue was Soho House in Handsworth, the home of Mathew Boulton who was the heart of the Lunar Society. The society gained its name as its monthly meetings were always scheduled for the Monday nearest to the full moon, the better light helping to ensure the members a safer journey home along the dangerous, unlit streets.

The ranks of the dozen or so regular members of the Lunar Society were often swelled by visits and correspondents from more peripheral members including the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Sir Richard Arkwright, Thomas Bedoes, Anna Seward, John Smeaton, etc.

The historian Jacob Bronowski wrote of the Lunar Society,

“What ran through it was a simple faith: the good life is more than material decency, but the good life must be based on material decency. ”

But who were these men that would meet every month to discuss how science and technology could be made to serve society for the good of all? The pioneers that together would bring about the ultimate fusion of science and social change that would fuel the fires and ignite the Industrial Revolution:

Mathew Boulton (1728 – 1809), (pictured at the top of the article) of Boulton and Watt. The leading industrialist of his day, he developed modern-day industrial practice and introduced the first workers’ insurance schemes and sick pay.

James Watt (1736 – 1819), of Boulton and Watt, developed the world beating steam engines that provided the power for the new factories that were springing up across the country.

Erasmus Darwin (1731 – 1802), poet, inventor and botanist. He published a theory of evolution 60 years before his grandson Charles. He developed a steering system that was used by Henry Ford and a mechanical copying machine. A visionary, who predicted the use of steam powered propulsion.

Josiah Wedgwood (1730 – 93), the father of English pottery, who was also Charles Darwin’s other grandfather. As an industrialist, he was dedicated to improving everyday life and brought affordable tableware to the masses.

Joseph Priestley (1733 – 1804), the rebellious cleric and scientist, famous for isolating oxygen, discovering carbon dioxide and carbonated (fizzy) drinks.

Photographs above: James Watt (left) and Joseph Priestley (right)

James Keir (1735 – 1820), the chemist responsible for making soap affordable to the great unwashed.

Richards Lovell Edgeworth (1744 – 1817), an inventor who also published books on educational theory.

William Murdoch (1731 – 1802), worked for Boulton and Watt and was the inventor of the gas light. He ended his days living at the court of the Shah of Persia, where he was believed to be an incarnation of Marduk, the ancient god of light.

William Small (1734 – 75), a mathematician, philosopher and mentor of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America. The Society was shocked when Small died at the early age of 40, he was replaced by …

William Withering (1741 – 99), a doctor and botanist, responsible for discovering the treatment of heart disease with the extract from the foxglove plant, digitalis.

Freemasonry, the Lunar Society, and the Midlands ...

https://dr-david-harrison.com/freemasonry/freemasonry-the-hidden...

2015-08-12

Lunar Society: Was Benjamin Franklin “the Father of the ...

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiaB4vimSPw

   For more information: https://WhoWeAreBook.com In this exclusive talk on Feb 18, 2021 to The Lunar Society 

No. 1726:
THE LUNAR SOCIETY

by John H. Lienhard

Click here for audio of Episode 1726.

Today, let's drop in on a remarkable gathering. The University of Houston's College of Engineering presents this series about the machines that make our civilization run, and the people whose ingenuity created them.

It was called The Lunar Society of Birmingham, and it was active for at least sixteen years, beginning in 1775. It got its name from the practice of meeting each month on the Monday nearest to the full moon. That way, roads were better lit for members who had to travel at night.

Revolutionaries have always gathered in small groups, and this was a revolutionary group. The revolutions of the late eighteenth century took many forms, but they were all fomented in study groups. And these groups invariably got around to a common question: How could science and technology be made to serve society?

Ben Franklin had helped to set the pattern very early in the game. His life was centered both on revolution and on tying scientific knowledge to practical social change. And The American Philosophical Society started out as his study group.

Before the French Revolution, intellectuals (both men and women) gathered in salons to talk about scientific and social issues. Now the English Industrial Revolution was about to become the ultimate fusion of science, social change, and revolution. And the Lunar Society formed a primary focus for such change.

But, if the Lunar Society was not unique for its aims, it was certainly unique for its membership. It numbered only a dozen or so people, but what a dozen they were! The heart of the Society was Matthew Boulton, the industrialist who built Watt's engines.

Other members included James Watt, Erasmus Darwin (famous physician and writer and Charles Darwin's grandfather), and Joseph Priestley. Priestley was the rebellious cleric and scientist, famous for isolating oxygen. Josiah Wedgwood was known for fine tableware, but he was also dedicated to improving everyday life. He made huge contributions to the production of cheap tableware. (And Wedgwood was Charles Darwin's other grandfather.)

The roster goes on: the astronomer William Herschel, who discovered the planet Uranus was also a famous organist in his day. John Smeaton, designer of the Eddystone lighthouse, knew more about steam-engine design than anyone before Watt.

Can you imagine being in a room with these makers of the Industrial Revolution who were genuinely asking how to improve their world? Historian Jacob Bronowski looks at the Lunar Society and says,

What ran through it was a simple faith: the good life is more than material decency, but the good life must be based on material decency.

It comes as a jolt to see these dedicated capitalists as part of a revolutionary cabal. But capitalism was revolution in the late eighteenth century. When this group of writers, intellectuals, scientists, and industrialists consciously joined forces, it was precisely because they meant to shape a decent life for everyone.

I'm John Lienhard, at the University of Houston, where we're interested in the way inventive minds work.

(Theme music)

---

Bronowski, J., The Ascent of Man. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1973, Chapter 8, The Drive for Power.

Schofield, R. E., The Lunar Society at Birmingham: A social history of provincial science and industry in eighteenth-century England, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.

This is a greatly revised version of Episode 168.

Boulton-Watt Works in Birmingham, England as shown in a 19th-Century Engraving, Source Unknown

The Engines of Our Ingenuity is Copyright © 1988-2002 by John H. Lienhard.

The longest lunar eclipse this century will happen in 2 weeks. Here's how to see it.

Aylin Woodward
Fri, November 5, 2021

The moon enters the maximum eclipse in Glastonbury, England, on September 28, 2015. Matt Cardy/Getty Images


A near-total lunar eclipse will occur on November 19, with prime visibility in North America.

It will last 3 hours and 28 minutes - the longest partial lunar eclipse this century, NASA predicts.

Here's how to see the rare event, when up to 97% of the moon will look red.

The longest lunar eclipse of this century comes in two weeks.

During the early hours of November 19, Earth will pass between the sun and moon, casting a shadow over the latter. The eclipse will peak just after 4 a.m. ET, when our planet will hide 97% of the full moon from the sun's light, giving the moon a reddish hue.

According to NASA, the partial lunar eclipse will last 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 23 seconds - longer than any other eclipse between 2001 and 2100.

Here's how and when to catch the rare celestial event.

People in North America can watch the entire spectacle

Lunar eclipses aren't visible worldwide - only in places where the moon is above the horizon.

For the upcoming eclipse, sky watchers in North America have the best seats in the house. People in all 50 US states, Canada, and Mexico can watch the full event.

You won't need a telescope or binoculars - simply go outside and look up at the sky any time between 2:19 a.m. and 5:47 a.m ET.

Or if you don't want to head into the chilly morning air, catch a live stream of the event here.

Folks in South America and western Europe will see most of the eclipse, though the moon will set before it ends. People in western Asia and Oceania will miss the earlier part of the event, as the moon will not have risen yet. Those living in Africa and the Middle East won't see any of the spectacle.

A map of locations where the partial lunar eclipse will be visible on November 19. NASA

If you miss the eclipse, don't fret. After this, NASA predicts another 179 eclipses in the next eight decades, with an average of two per year. The next eclipse will happen on May 16, 2022.
How a lunar eclipse works - and why it turns the moon red

Typically, the moon's white-grey face is illuminated by sunlight reflecting off its surface. But during a lunar eclipse, the moon, sun, and Earth briefly align so that our planet blocks sunlight from reaching the moon.

A diagram of the Earth, moon, and sun during a total lunar eclipse. Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

A total lunar eclipse occurs when 100% of the moon is obscured by the Earth's cone-shaped shadow, known as the umbra. During a total eclipse, or near-total eclipse like this month's event, the lunar surface takes on a bloody visage.

We have oxygen and nitrogen particles in Earth's atmosphere to thank for that light show. They're both better at scattering certain shorter wavelengths of light, like blue or violet, so colors with longer wavelengths like red, orange, or yellow linger. So when the moon sits in Earth's shadow, those reddish colors dominate what you see.

Owner of luxury of 21-story apartment building that collapsed in Nigeria found dead in rubble

Rebecca Cohen

Fri, November 5, 2021

Hopes fade of finding survivors of Nigeria high-rise collapse as toll rises Reuters

• The owner of a Nigerian high-rise that collapsed Monday was found dead in the rubble.

• Rescue crews pulled nine survivors out of the wreckage as of Tuesday, but the collapse has killed dozens.

• The building in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, had been under construction for three years.

The owner of a Nigerian luxury apartment building that collapsed earlier this week was found dead in the rubble Thursday, local authorities told the Washington Post.

The tower collapsed Monday, and rescue crews pulled nine survivors out of the wreckage by Tuesday and have found at least 43 bodies, the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria told The Post.

Olufemi Osibona, the managing director of the Nigerian development firm Fourscore Homes, was inside the building at the time of the collapse, and local authorities found his body on Thursday.

The collapse took place in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city.

The building had been under construction for almost three years before its collapse, and it had temporarily stopped construction from July to November of this year, according to local media.

"Our agency came in to do a structural test and saw some anomalies and shut it down and said those things should be corrected," Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos State's deputy governor, said. He did not say why construction had resumed.

Investigations into the collapse to determine the cause are underway.

GAI/UBI
Column: A veteran of guaranteed income, she has some advice for L.A.'s new recipients


Erika D. Smith
Fri, November 5, 2021

Georgia Horton, taking in the view at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, is a participant in the Compton Pledge guaranteed income program. (Erika D. Smith / Los Angeles Times)

Georgia Horton grabbed the hem of her dark blue dress and awkwardly threw one leg and then the other over a concrete bench at the top of Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.

"This is where I take all the reporters," she said, flashing a sarcastic smile while getting comfortable at the picnic table. "It's peaceful, right?"

I had to laugh.

In the months since I wrote about Horton during the darkest days of the pandemic, she said she has met with a parade of reporters, all wanting to know about her participation in the Compton Pledge guaranteed income program.

And she keeps telling her story.

How she grew up poor in Bakersfield and was abused as a child. How she spent decades in prison, found religion and became an evangelist. How she moved to Compton after being released and struggled to make ends meet when the economy shut down over COVID-19.

And how the few hundred dollars that she now receives every month — no strings attached — has taken her from the brink of eviction to a budding career as a motivational speaker with her own nonprofit.

With each telling, Horton has further embraced her role as a spokeswoman for guaranteed income. "A poster child," she likes to joke.

But she knows it's not just her story. It's that in the months she has been telling it, several mayors have been making a big show of launching publicly funded guaranteed income programs in their own cities.

Los Angeles is just the latest, with Mayor Eric Garcetti last week announcing more details for the Basic Income Guaranteed: L.A. Economic Assistance Pilot, or BIG: LEAP. Some 3,200 low-income households will get $1,000 a month for one year. Applications are being accepted now.

Also last week, Chicago announced that it would start distributing monthly payments to low-income residents, too, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot bragging that her city will have "the largest pilot program in the country."

Indeed, each successive announcement seems designed to one-up the last, with cities clearly competing with one another to be seen as giving out the most money to the most people.

Yes, it's shameless virtue signaling. But it's also testament to how what started in 2019 as a controversial experiment in Stockton under then-Mayor Michael Tubbs has quickly morphed into one of the most politically popular — and effective — tools for managing the economic upheaval of the pandemic. That's why mayors like to talk about it.

What mayors talk about less is how their frenzy over guaranteed income has spawned a new industry — from nonprofit leaders and consultants who tout best practices at symposiums to organizations that help cities select recipients, run their programs and collect data.

For example, there's the Fund for Guaranteed Income. Led by Nika Soon-Shiong, the daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, it's the charity behind the donor-funded Compton Pledge and has been tapped by Chicago to help manage its program.

There's also the academic Center for Guaranteed Income Research, which is working with Los Angeles and many other cities that have started programs under Tubbs' Mayors for a Guaranteed Income.

Horton shakes her head in amazement at how complicated guaranteed income has become and how removed it has become from people. Though grateful for the steady stream of cash through the Compton Pledge, she is worried about what comes next for those who have come — and will come — to depend on it.

"Y'all are bragging about how much you're giving," she said, talking about the mayors and their speeches. "But what's going to happen when it's over?"

::

The question of sustainability is one that critics often pose about guaranteed income, even though early research has shown that such programs can help lift Americans out of poverty for good.

Still, some cities aren't taking any chances.

In L.A., for example, those selected for BIG: LEAP will be referred to agencies that provide financial coaching. Other guaranteed income programs, including in the Bay Area, are offering the same. Participation is optional.

Horton admits she did many things the hard way, including figuring out on her own how to start her nonprofit, Georgia Horton Ministries.

But once she filed the paperwork — using money saved from her monthly Compton Pledge stipend — it led to a slew of new speaking engagements, including from the Word Network and T.D. Jakes Ministries. She also has written a book, which tells her story of overcoming trauma.

"With that transition came a whole lot of different responsibilities," she explained. "But it came with a whole different mindset, too."

It's that new mindset that Horton hopes L.A.'s coming class of guaranteed income recipients will adopt sooner rather than later. Ever the evangelist, she ticked off the lessons that she has learned.

First, start a savings account to fight the urge for instant gratification.

"There's never going to be a good time to save in your mind — in that poverty mindset — because need is always going to be present," Horton said. "If you're waiting to save absent of need, you'll never save. So now you have to decide: If I have lived without this for so much time, then why can you not live without this now?"

Second, keep your old friends, but make new ones.

"Bring in somebody that is thinking on the level of where you want to go. Because what's gonna happen is, while you're bringing in somebody that's thinking on that level, then when you're conversing with them, you're getting new ideas."

And third, don't forget about self-care, both mental and physical, to avoid impulse buying.

"In the midst of this pandemic, to help you make better decisions with your funding, do some inner self-care to change how you feel in a healthy way," she said. "If you don't, then you're going to find some kind of outer something to bring in to try to feel better."

That is Horton's story and, as long as people keep asking, she'll keep telling it.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Zuckerberg's metaverse: Lessons from Second Life

Joe Tidy - Cyber reporter

BBC
Fri, November 5, 2021

Second Life image of man and woman in a house

This week, I travelled back in time to visit the future.

It has been about 10 years since I first entered the virtual world of Second Life, arguably the internet's first attempt at what every tech giant is now racing to build: the so-called metaverse.

The term metaverse was coined in the 1990s in a science-fiction novel, Snow Crash, where it served as a virtual-reality successor to the internet, where people live large portions of their lives in virtual environments.

Second Life peaked in the late 2000s with millions of users and hundreds of excitable headlines about people devoting hours of their daily lives to live digitally.

Since then, I assumed it had died a slow and quiet death. But how wrong I was.

The platform seems to have a small, loyal and potentially growing community of "residents", as they call themselves, logging on to experience what our metaverse future could look like.

So for this week's Tech Tent podcast, I dipped back in.

Podcast available now
Listen to the latestTech Tent podcast on BBC Sounds

In terms of visuals, it is far from groundbreaking.

It is more akin to the blocky and pixelated world of Roblox than a blockbuster game built around gorgeous immersive environments.

But the difference here, of course, is that, like Mark Zuckerberg's vision of the metaverse, Second Life is not a game. There are no gaming challenges or quests or storylines. It is just a place to hang out.
Meeting virtual Rei

One resident I met was Rei.

Our avatars bumped into each other after teleporting to a seaside world modelled on a strange rundown 1960s Scottish fishing village. He told me he had been spending time in Second Life for about four months after "getting curious about all this metaverse stuff".

I met Rei in a user-built zone in Second life

Rei is not a fan of Zuckerberg's vision of the metaverse.

"They'll want to control everything. But I think the people should be in charge and it should be fully open," he told me.


Apparently, it's the next big thing. What is the metaverse?


Facebook's metaverse plans labelled 'dystopian'


Facebook to hire 10,000 in EU to work on metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of the newly renamed company Meta, addressed these concerns when he announced his grand plans.

"It's a future that is beyond any one company. That will be made by all of us," he said in his Facebook Connect keynote.

Other large corporations, including Microsoft, Epic Games, Roblox and even Nike have announced plans to enter the metaverse in some form.

Rei's concern about a metaverse monopoly is one shared by many, including Anya Kanevsky, vice-president of product management at Linden Lab - the company running Second Life.

Anya has watched with interest as several tech giants have started to talk about the new idea of a life online. Second Life has been going since 2003.

Second Life residents host events

"I'm a little bit concerned about the dystopian nature that the conversation seems to be taking on right now," she says.

"The entry of a slightly oversized and outsized player into the space seems to signal to people that they are not the owners of it, that someone else is going to be setting the rules and kind of running the show and they will just be the consumers."

Second Life, then, is much like Roblox - a place where users build environments and invite others to play - although it has far fewer participants.

Roblox's record for concurrent players is estimated to be around 5.5m compared with Second Life's 90,000.

Mark Zuckerberg says he, too, wants to put a community of users at the heart of his metaverse but he does not have any residents yet.

Instead, he has pledged to take on 10,000 employees across Europe to build his worlds.

Some argue that it's not even about allowing users more control: a metaverse should be built entirely by communities.

John Carmack, the consulting chief technology officer of Oculus, Meta's virtual-reality headset division, believes that setting out to build a metaverse "is not actually the best way to wind up with the metaverse".

As reported by Ars Technica, he said: "I doubt a single application will get to that level of taking over everything. I just don't believe that one player - one company - winds up making all the right decisions for this."

It's not hard to find events and zones aimed at adult audiences in Second Life

Second Life's story also has more lessons to teach Mr Zuckerberg and others.

At its peak, the site attracted negative headlines after high-profile virtual riots, Ponzi schemes based on the in-game currency and even issues around child grooming.

Even in my short exploration this week, I caught glimpses of the moderation challenges that Second Life faces. Those would be amplified if a metaverse went mainstream.

Searching for events or places with certain keywords such as "porn" or "drugs" is blocked.

However, searching for "sex" took me to virtual strip clubs where I was offered digital lap dances in exchange for in-world money.

"The approach to governance in a virtual world is complex," says Ms Kanevsky.

"Some of it can be automated away but a lot of it must have the human touch. It's not all just escapist behaviour and pretty dresses and gorgeous avatars."

Back in Second Life, I asked Rei one last question before I logged off: why does he keep coming back?

He answered: "I like to dream with my eyes".

END THE DEATH PENALTY
Japan death row inmates sue over 'inhumane' same-day notification

Elaine Lies
Thu, November 4, 2021

TOKYO (Reuters) - Two death row inmates in Japan are suing the country over how prisoners are notified only hours before the death penalty is carried out, demanding change and seeking compensation for the impact of the "inhumane" practice, their lawyer said on Friday.

Capital punishment in Japan is conducted by hanging, and the practice of not informing inmates of the timing until shortly before execution has long been decried by international human rights organisations for the stress it places on prisoners, for whom any day could be their last.

On Thursday, in what is believed to be a first, two prisoners sentenced to death filed a suit in a district court in the western city of Osaka saying the practice was illegal because it did not allow prisoners time to file an objection, demanding the practice be changed and asking for 22 million yen ($193,594) in compensation, lawyer Yutaka Ueda said.

"Death row prisoners live in fear every morning that that day will be their last. It's extremely inhumane," he added.

"Japan is really behind the international community on this."

The United States and Japan are the only industrialised democracies that still carry out the death penalty, and human rights groups such as Amnesty International have demanded change for decades.

Ueda said there is no law mandating that prisoners can only be told of their execution hours before it takes place, and that the practice actually goes against Japan's criminal code.

"The central government has said this is meant to keep prisoners from suffering before their execution, but that's no explanation and a big problem, and we really need to see how they respond to the suit," he added.

"Overseas, prisoners are given time to contemplate the end of their lives and mentally prepare. It's as if Japan is trying as hard as possible not to let anybody know."

There are currently 112 people sentenced to death in Japan, the Justice Ministry said, though none have been executed for nearly two years. Public opinion polls regularly show a vast majority of the population in favour of capital punishment, which is usually imposed in connection with murders.

Ueda said he hopes the lawsuit could spark discussion in Japan about the issue, though this is not its main goal.

"This system is badly mistaken - and we would like the public to turn their eyes to the issue," he added.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Michael Perry)

VW ID.Buzz previewed as the modern-day electric hippie Bus

It will make its debut in 2022

RONAN GLON

Nov 4th 2021 

Volkswagen is gradually revealing more details about the production version of the ID.Buzz concept. We saw it as a heavily-camouflaged autonomous shuttle in September 2021, and the latest picture released by the German automaker shows the electric van with far less cladding.

While multi-colored camouflage fully covers the model, whose production name hasn't been published yet, what you see in the image above is what dealers across the United States are scheduled to receive starting in 2023. It looks a lot like the design study presented in 2017 in the sense that it's big, relatively boxy, and very clearly inspired by the rear-engined Bus that spent decades zig-zagging across the United States. Some styling cues have changed, however: the lower part of the front bumper has been redesigned, the futuristic-looking headlights were ditched for more realistic units, and the backlit Volkswagen emblem is gone from the front end. It also gains mirrors and door handles.

Overall, it looks like not much has been lost in the transition from a concept car to a production model, though we'll wait until we see the Buzz in the metal to make a final judgment. And, like the concept, the production model will land with an electric powertrain. It's built on the modular MEB platform that underpins a growing number of EVs, including the ID.4 crossover and the recently-unveiled ID.5, so Volkswagen will be able to offer rear- and all-wheel-drive variants. Short- and long-wheelbase versions will be available globally, but an earlier report claims that only the latter will be offered in the United States, where the van will be positioned as an upscale adventure-mobile.

Similarly, the same report claims the commercial version of the Buzz shown as a concept in 2018 will not make its way to our shores. Additional details, like driving range and pricing information, will be announced closer to the EV's unveiling in 2022.

Even if we only get long-wheelbase people-hauling versions, what's certain is that, after several false starts, the Volkswagen van will roam American roads again.

Related video:

‘I’m afraid we’re going to have a food crisis’: The energy crunch has made fertilizer too expensive to produce, says Yara CEO



Katherine Dunn
Thu, November 4, 2021

The world is facing the prospect of a dramatic shortfall in food production as rising energy prices cascade through global agriculture, the CEO of Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara International says.

"I want to say this loud and clear right now, that we risk a very low crop in the next harvest," said Svein Tore Holsether, the CEO and president of the Oslo-based company. "I’m afraid we’re going to have a food crisis."

Speaking to Fortune on the sidelines of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Holsether said that the sharp rise in energy prices this summer and autumn had already resulted in fertilizer prices roughly tripling.

In Europe, the natural-gas benchmark hit an all-time high in September, with the price more than tripling from June to October alone. Yara is a major producer of ammonia, a key ingredient in synthetic fertilizer, which increases crop yields. The process of creating ammonia currently relies on hydropower or natural gas.

"To produce a ton of ammonia last summer was $110," said Holsether. "And now it's $1,000. So it's just incredible."

Food prices have also risen, meaning some farmers can afford more expensive fertilizer. But Holsether argues many smallholder farmers can't afford the higher costs, which will reduce what they can produce and diminish crop sizes. That in turn will hurt food security in vulnerable regions at a time when access to food is already under threat from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, including widespread drought.

The company, whose largest shareholder is the Norwegian government, has donated $25 million worth of fertilizer to vulnerable farmers, Holsether said. But Yara isn't able to eat the costs of such a dramatic rise in energy prices, he says. Since September, it has been curtailing its ammonia production by as much as 40% due to energy costs. Other major producers have done the same. Reducing ammonia production will decrease the supply of fertilizer and make it more expensive, undermining food production.

The delayed effects of the energy crisis on food security could mimic the chip shortage crisis, Holsether said.

"That's all linked to factories being shut down in March, April, and May of last year, and we're reaping the consequences of that now," he said. "But if we get the equivalent to the food system…not having food is not annoying, that's a matter of life or death."

Holsether pointed to efforts by the director of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley, the former governor of South Carolina, to raise $6 billion in aid to combat preventable famine by directly targeting outspoken billionaires, including Elon Musk, for donations to the program.

Last week, Beasley called out Musk and Jeff Bezos, who appeared at COP26 on Tuesday, arguing that they could pony up the funds if they wanted to and barely feel the difference. In response, Musk tweeted that he was willing to sell $6 billion in Tesla stock if the World Food Program could explain "exactly" how that money would end world hunger.

Food scarcity is already reaching desperate levels in many regions. On Wednesday, Frédérica Andriamanantena, the World Food Program's Madagascar program manager, appeared on a COP26 panel to describe the severity of the country's drought and resulting famine. Andriamanantena, who is from Madagascar, said drought had this year reduced the harvest to one-third of the average of the past five years. Where families had once had comfortable meals, children are now subsisting on foraged plants and cactus leaves.

"That is where the situation is now," she said.

Race Is On to Frack Shale Fields Before Costs Jump in 2022


David Wethe
Fri, November 5, 2021

(Bloomberg) -- Explorers are racing to get frack jobs done in the Permian Basin and other U.S. shale-oil fields before higher prices kick in next year, according to research and analysis firm Lium LLC.

The number of hydraulic-fracturing crews deployed across the U.S. shale patch jumped by 10 in recent weeks to 230, Lium analysts said in a note titled “Permianflation” on Friday. A crew typically consists of 25 to 30 workers who operate a huge array of truck-mounted pumps, storage tanks for fluids and sand, hoses, gauges and safety gear.

“Operators are accelerating completions activity in anticipation of 10-15% higher well costs next year,” according to Lium. “Rising well costs could slow down U.S. oil and gas production growth by putting pressure on maintenance capital scenarios.”

A number of shale explorers including Devon Energy Corp., Diamondback Energy Inc. and ConocoPhillips warned investors this week that inflation could rise 10% to 15% next year as supply-chain snarls make equipment and labor more pricey. Explorers have said they’ve so far been able to manage rising costs through efficiency gains in the field.

Drilling crews, which come in ahead of the frack workers to bore a hole several miles into rock, are also on the rise. The number of rigs drilling for crude in U.S. fields rose by 6 to 450 this week, according to Baker Hughes Co. data released Friday. One of America’s biggest drillers, Occidental Petroleum Corp., said it plans to add a pair of rigs every three months in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico.