Ultra-rare partial lunar eclipse will shine across Canada  tonight

Scott Sutherland
Meteorologist/Science Writer

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Hope for cear skies on Thursday night because we are in for a super-rare treat! The Full Moon will be passing through Earth's shadow, resulting in a partial lunar eclipse unlike anything seen in hundreds of years.

Starting at just after 1 a.m. EST on Friday morning — 2:30 a.m. NST/10 p.m. PST, Thursday night — the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon will be aligning just right to produce a lunar eclipse. Unlike the Super Blood Flower Moon from earlier this year, the Moon will not turn completely red during this event. Instead, we will see a partial lunar eclipse, where the Moon only mostly dips into the dark red 'umbra' of Earth's shadow.

Don't let that deter you from getting out to see this, though, because it's going to be pretty special!

The Moon's path through Earth's shadow on Thursday night/Friday morning will plunge nearly all of it into the umbra. At the moment of greatest eclipse, about 3 hours after the event begins, only a tiny sliver of the Moon's south polar region will remain in the penumbra.

This graphic shows the path of the Moon through Earth's shadow on the night of Thursday, November 18 through Friday, November 19. The times referenced in the graphic are in Eastern Standard Time. Credit: NASA SVS/Scott Sutherland

So, this will be about as close to a total lunar eclipse as you can get, without it actually being a total lunar eclipse!

WHEN DO WE WATCH?

The timing of this "almost total" lunar eclipse makes it visible to everyone across the country (weather permitting

Because the eclipse happens simultaneously for everyone, though, we need to take time zones into consideration during the event. Thus, the challenging part will be that the farther east you are, the later you need to stay awake or the earlier you need to get up to see it.

The visibility of the November 18-19 lunar eclipse includes all of Canada. Only parts of eastern Canada will miss the end of the penumbral eclipse as the Sun rises in the morning. Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Listed below are the eclipse times for each time zone across Canada, starting with the entire duration of the eclipse, then that of the partial eclipse, and the time of greatest eclipse.

• NST — 2:32 a.m.-8:33 a.m.; Partial 3:48 a.m.-7:17 a.m.; Greatest 5:33 a.m.
• AST — 2:02 a.m.-8:03 a.m.; Partial 3:18 a.m.-6:47 a.m.; Greatest 5:03 a.m.
• EST — 1:02 a.m.-7:03 a.m.; Partial 2:18 a.m.-5:47 am; Greatest 4:03 a.m.
• CST — 2:02 a.m.-6:03 a.m.; Partial 1:18 a.m.-4:47 a.m.; Greatest 3:03 a.m.
• MST — 11:02 p.m.-5:03 a.m.; Partial 12:18 a.m.-3:47 am; Greatest 2:03 a.m.
• PST — 10:02 p.m.-4:03 a.m.; Partial 11:18 p.m.-2:47 a.m.; Greatest 1:03 a.m.

The entire eclipse lasts for 6 hours and 1 minute, from beginning to end. For the first hour and 15 minutes or so, it may be difficult to notice the effects as the Moon enters the faint penumbra. After that, though, the partial phase of the eclipse begins. This is the good part, when the dark umbra begins to creep across the face of the Moon!

You may not notice the reddish tinge for the first while, as your eyes struggle with the contrast between the dark lunar surface in the umbra and the brighter part that's still in the penumbra. The colour will become more apparent as time passes, though, and closer to the point of greatest eclipse, we may be treated to a fantastic sight.

As for the weather, here are the cloud conditions across Canada on Thursday night, as of the Tuesday morning forecast.

Come back for updates leading up to the event!

A SPLASH OF COLOUR

During a total lunar eclipse, when only a tiny portion of the Moon is peaking out of the umbra, close observers often notice bands of colour spread out across the Moon's face. This becomes even more noticeable through a telescope, a pair of binoculars, or through a camera using a telephoto lens

This array of colours is known as the Japanese Lantern Effect.

This photograph, taken from New Braunfels, Texas, during the April 15, 2014 total lunar eclipse, shows the Moon just before it was completely immersed in the umbra. Credit: Larry Johnson/Wikimedia Commons (CC by 2.0)

The term was apparently coined in the 1950s by astrophotographer Peter A. Leavens. It describes the stages of a total lunar eclipse that starts roughly five minutes before totality and again for approximately five minutes after totality ends.

The outer part of Earth's shadow (the penumbra) is usually portrayed as gray, and the inner part (the umbra) is shown as red. However, a much more subtle array of colours go into both. This is due to light filtering through the different layers of Earth's atmosphere. These subtle colours become more noticeable as more of the umbra darkens the Moon's surface.

While this effect is seen for only a short time during a total lunar eclipse, we may see it for close to an hour during Thursday's partial lunar eclipse!

LONGEST PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IN CENTURIES

At 3 hours, 28 minutes and 24 seconds long, Thursday night's partial lunar eclipse will be the longest seen this century.

For comparison, this century's shortest total lunar eclipse is on April 4, 2015, spent precisely 3 hours and 29 minutes passing through the umbra. The Moon was so close to the umbra's edge during that event that some observers who were closely watching with telescopes actually questioned if it genuinely qualified as a total lunar eclipse!

This simulated view of the Moon shows what the November 18-19 Partial Lunar Eclipse should look like at greatest eclipse. Credit: NASA SVS/Scott Sutherland

Thursday night's eclipse isn't just the longest partial lunar eclipse of this century, though. In fact, it's the longest eclipse seen in over five centuries past, and more than six centuries going forward!

According to NASA's records, the last "longest partial lunar eclipse" — at 3 hours, 28 minutes, and 48 seconds long — took place over 581 years ago, on February 18, 1440! For the next one, which will be an even 3 hours and 30 minutes long, there's an even longer wait! It occurs nearly 648 years from now, on February 8, 2669!

So, this is one not to be missed!

Scientists Discover Giant Fossilized Dinosaur Eggs

written by Michael Freeman November 16, 2021

If finding one set of fossilized dinosaur remains is a good day for archeologists, then they recently hit the jackpot. On that note, a recent excavation provided scientists with a multitude of fossilized dinosaur eggs.

Newsweek reports archeologists found not just one dinosaur egg, but 30. Scientists found the titanosaur eggs in a two-ton rock in northern Spain. Specifically, scientists found the eggs at a Loarre, Spain dig site two months ago. What’s even more exciting is scientists predict there could be as many as 70 still inside the boulder.

An international team of paleontologists led by the Aragosaurus-IUCA Group of the University of Zaragoza collaborated with Nova University Lisbon in Portugal to discover the eggs. Miguel Moreno-Azanz Carmen Nunez-Lahuerta and Eduardo Puertolas led the team that unearthed everything. Moreno-Azanza noted they excavated the two nests in 2020 and found 30 eggs since then.

“The main objective of the 2021 campaign was the extraction of a large nest that contains at least 12 eggs that were integrated into a block of rock weighing over two tons,” Moreno-Azanza stated. “In total, five people dedicated eight hours a day for 50 days to excavate the nest, which was finally removed with the help of a bulldozer.”

Interestingly, Moreno-Azanza also noted extracting such huge rocks isn’t the norm. Nevertheless, it and 10 smaller ones are now in a Loarre warehouse. At a later date, the future Laboratory-Museum there will display them. “It is expected that next spring the space will open its doors to visitors, who will be able to follow the process of preparing and studying the fossils of this site in person,” Moreno-Azanza said.

Additionally, the Loarre Dinosaur Eggs project received funding for the next three years. Who knows just how many eggs they will find.

Scientists Find Giant ‘Sea Scorpion’ Fossil

Scientists have really been striking gold lately, it seems. Last month, paleontologists found a giant “sea scorpion” fossil.

Found in China’s Xiushan Formation, the scorpion’s remains make the ones we have today look pathetic. Dubbed Terropterus xiushanensis, it was a huge arthropod that thrived just off China’s coast. It lived roughly 435 million years ago, according to Sci-News. They commonly reached a meter in length. For reference, scorpions today don’t even reach a foot.

Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy Sciences professor, Bo Wang, told the outlet about the species and how it hunted. According to him, the second and third pair of limbs grew larger than the rest and had spikes. This made it easier for them to catch prey. He then compared them to spiders, saying they used a type of “catching basket” to ensnare targets.

Try sleeping at night now after imagining one of these things wandering around.

PHYSICS

Subatomic Particles Falling From The Sky Are Exposing The Inner Secrets of Volcanoes

AYLIN WOODWARD, BUSINESS INSIDER

17 NOVEMBER 2021

Muons are everywhere. Unbeknownst to you, several hundred strike your head every second.

These subatomic particles – created when cosmic rays enter the Earth's atmosphere – are harmless and quickly decay into clusters of lighter particles.

The particles penetrate objects like X-rays do, which make them useful to scientists, who used muons to uncover a hidden chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid four years ago.

Scientists also use ghostly muons to map the internal structure of volcanoes, which could one day help predict dangerous eruptions, according to an article published last week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

To create those maps, scientists measure how efficiently particles pass through magma flowing through caverns, chambers, and rocky passages in volcanoes, then use that information to create geological blueprints, according to Giovanni Leone, a geophysicist at the University of Atacama in Chile and lead author of the study.

The technique, known as muography, may one day be the "ultimate detection system for magma," Leone told The New York Times, adding that the technique makes it possible to track magma movements that may precede an eruption.

X-raying the inside of a volcano 

Muons are like fat, fast electrons: They have a negative charge, but are 207 times heavier than electrons, traveling at nearly the speed of light. That heaviness and speed allows particles to penetrate dense materials like volcanic rock. The denser the object, the more quickly muons lose speed and decay.

Many muons can hit the side of a volcano and travel right through. But if the volcano is dense enough – say, because a passage is filled with magma – a muon won't make it out the volcano's other side. 

To spot which muons survived the journey, scientists set up muon detectors on the flanks of a volcano. Those detectors create an image of the volcano's guts by capturing the intrepid muons that didn't decay while passing through the volcano, and noting gaps where muons didn't survive intact.

Some researchers do this mapping from the air by positioning muon detectors inside helicopters and flying near the volcano's flanks.

Think of it like getting your leg X-rayed. During an X-ray, radiation passes through your leg and is captured on camera. If the radiation passes through unobstructed, the image appears black.

But because your leg bones absorb some of the X-rays as they pass through, less radiation makes it to the camera, meaning your bones appear lighter in the image. 

In volcanic muography, scientists look for the same contrast: Muons that pass through completely cast dark shadows on the muon detector. But when muons hit dense parts of the volcano and decay more quickly, they leave lighter silhouettes. In short, the denser the object, the lighter the silhouette. 

(Reidar Hahn/Fermilab)Above: Two scientists at the Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, working on a muon detector. 

The more muon detectors surrounding a volcano – some can be almost as large as a tennis court – the better the image.

One detector yields a 2D image, according to David Mahon, a muography researcher at the University of Glasgow, who was not involved with the study.

"By using multiple detectors positioned around the object, it's possible to build up a crude 3D image," he told The New York Times.

Muons could help predict volcanic eruptions

Researchers have used muography to glimpse inside Japan's Sakurajima and Mount Asama volcanoes, as well as three volcanoes in Italy – including Vesuvius – and a Caribbean volcano in Guadeloupe.

Beyond helping scientists map volcanic innards, the new article suggests muography could be used to spot magma reservoirs inside volcanoes that are primed to erupt and to track magma movement in real time.

Eruptions are often preceded by magma rising toward the volcano's summit, and using muons to detect magma flow in that summit area may help scientists detect impending eruptions – allowing people to safely evacuate ahead of an eruption.

"Knowing these issues as early as possible buys critically important time for those responsible for the local alarm and evacuation protocols," the study authors wrote, adding, "forecasting violent volcanic eruptions is the Holy Grail for applied volcanology."

THUMBNAIL Volcanic lightning during an eruption of the Sakurajima volcano. (Mike Lyvers/Moment/Getty Images)

Combining muography with

existing technology to

improve volcanic eruption

predictions

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

An international team of researchers is proposing that vulcanologists consider using muography with existing technology to improve volcanic eruption predictions. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society A, the group describes ways they believe muography could be combined with existing technology to provide volcanologists with more information about the status of a given volcano.

Muons are subatomic particles that are created when cosmic rays strike Earth's atmosphere and collide with its atoms. As the muons rain down on the planet, they pass through everything on the surface and below. But because some materials are denser than others, some of the muons can be lost. This has led to the idea of using them to measure the density of objects—to help find a hidden room in the Great Pyramid, for example. Scientists have developed tools that can be used to measure muons, and their use has led to the science of muography. Prior research has shown that muography can be used to study certain geographical features, such as the density of material in a mountain, or a volcano. Prior research has shown that muographical tools can illuminate the makeup of a volcano, which could perhaps lead to eruption forecasts. In this new effort, the researchers suggest that a better approach is to use both muography and existing technology and techniques to learn even more about a given volcano, and hopefully to better predict when it might next erupt.

More specifically, the researchers suggest muography be added to tools such as acoustic and thermal recordings devices that are used to monitor volcanoes that are located near populated areas. Noting certain changes in density of materials inside of a volcano could, over time, come to be seen as a prelude to an eruption.

The authors also acknowledge that there are roadblocks to using muon detecting equipment as part of eruption prediction—most notably, physical hurdles such as when a volcano is surrounded by an ocean or other mountains that shield it from falling muons. They also note that muon detectors are generally far more expensive than other types of sensors. They argue that despite these hurdles, the use of muon detection would be well worth it if it saves lives and reduces property damage.Degassing data suggests Mt. Etna began showing signs of pressure buildup months before 2018 eruption

More information: Giovanni Leone et al, Muography as a new complementary tool in monitoring volcanic hazard: implications for early warning systems, Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2021.0320

Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society A 

© 2021 Science X Network

'Volcanic winter' likely contributed to ecological catastrophe 250 million years ago: study

by New York University

Copper-rich minerals indicating widespread volcanic activity at the end-Permian mass

 extinction in different regions in southern China (A: Taoshujing locality; B: Lubei locality;

 C: Guanbachong; D: Taoshujing locality; E: Longmendong locality). 

The minerals are all copper sulfides, mostly Malachite--the minerals' green patches.

 Credit: H. Zhang, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology.

A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals in southern China indicate that volcano eruptions produced a "volcanic winter" that drastically lowered earth's temperatures—a change that added to the environmental effects resulting from other phenomena at the time.

The research, which appears in the journal Science Advances, examined the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME), which was the most severe extinction event in the past 500 million years, wiping out 80 to 90 percent of species on land and in the sea.

"As we look closer at the geologic record at the time of the great extinction, we are finding that the end-Permian global environmental disaster may have had multiple causes among marine and non-marine species," says Michael Rampino, a professor in New York University's Department of Biology and one of the authors of the paper.

For decades, scientists have investigated what could have caused this global ecological catastrophe, with many pointing to the spread of vast floods of lava across what is known as the Siberian Traps—a large region of volcanic rock in the Russian province of Siberia. These eruptions caused environmental stresses, including severe global warming from volcanic releases of carbon dioxide and related reduction in oxygenation of ocean waters—the latter causing the suffocation of marine life. 

The team for the Science Advances work, composed of more than two dozen researchers,  including scientists from China's Nanjing University and Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry as well as Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History and Montclair State University, considered other factors that may have contributed to the end of the Permian Period, which stretched from 300 million to 250 million years ago.

Specifically, they found mineral and related deposits on land in the south China region—notably copper and mercury—whose age coincided with the end-Permian mass extinction in non-marine localities. Specifically, these deposits were marked by anomalies in their composition likely due to sulfur-rich emissions from nearby volcanic eruptions—they were covered by layers of volcanic ash. 

Schematic showing the formation process of copper-rich deposits within the EPME 

interval in South China. Credit: NIGPAS

"Sulfuric acid atmospheric aerosols produced by the eruptions may have been the cause of rapid global cooling of several degrees, prior to the severe warming seen across the end-Permian mass-extinction interval," explains Rampino.

The team's findings suggested that the Siberian Traps eruptions were not the sole cause of the end-Permian mass extinction, and that the environmental effects of the eruptions in South China, and elsewhere, may have played a vital role in the disappearance of dozens of species. Researchers unearth 'new' extinction

More information: Hua Zhang et al, Felsic volcanism as a factor driving the end-Permian mass extinction, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh1390. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abh1390

Journal information: Science Advances 

Provided by New York University 

Study sheds light on an important Pacific-to-Atlantic connecting current

by Elizabeth Thompson, American Geophysical Union

The Tasman leakage carries warm, salty waters from the Pacific’s East Australian Current 

into the Indian Ocean. Its waters join other currents, but they change little before they 

eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: ZweiZahn, CC BY-SA 4.0

On a planet covered mostly with water, ocean currents have far-reaching effects, from refreshing the nutrients that support ocean life to influencing coastal climates. These current networks are not set in stone, however, and any significant current changes have the potential to affect conditions around the globe.

The Tasman leakage (TL) is a branch of the larger network of currents in the Southern Hemisphere that operates at intermediate water depths. It slips westward between southern Australia and the east running current that girdles Antarctica, then snakes up through the Indian Ocean to join other waters that then dip around the Cape of Good Hope and out to the Atlantic. TL water supplies nearly half of the water flowing around the Cape of Good Hope, so it provides an important link between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

In a new study, Christensen et al. examined both sediment patterns and carbon isotopes from drilling sites across the region's ocean floor to get a better picture of the TL's origins and early effects. They found that by 7 million years ago, Australia had moved far enough north to allow a westward current to flow between the continent and Antarctica's circumpolar current.

At the same time, Earth's global climate and ocean patterns were changing, and the TL was the missing link that ushered in near-modern ocean circulation. Onset of the TL provided a new pathway to return warm, salty Pacific waters to the North Atlantic, but at intermediate depths. This study was based on records recovered with earlier-generation ocean drilling techniques. A detailed understanding of this new current's effects on past oceans and climate requires recovery of new cores that allow for the construction of higher-resolution records.

Scientists project that TL flow will increase over time. By defining the current's history and beginning to examine its effects, experts can make predictions about its future influence on climate and ocean patterns.A current affair: the movement of ocean waters around Australia

More information: Beth A. Christensen et al, Late Miocene Onset of Tasman Leakage and Southern Hemisphere Supergyre Ushers in Near‐Modern Circulation, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL095036

Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters 

Provided by American Geophysical Union 

 Schools close as smog-laden India capital considers lockdown

A motorcyclist drives on the wrong side of the road amidst morning haze and toxic smog in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Schools were closed indefinitely and some coal-based power plants shut down as the Indian capital and neighboring states invoked harsh measures Wednesday to combat air pollution after an order from the federal environment ministry panel. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) 

Sheikh Saaliq And Shonal Ganguly, The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, November 17, 2021 

NEW DELHI (AP) -- Schools were closed indefinitely and some coal-based power plants shut down as the smog-shrouded Indian capital and neighboring states invoked harsh measures Wednesday amid considerations of a lockdown in New Delhi to combat worsening air pollution.

India's top court is deliberating on the lockdown - a first of its kind in the country to stem pollution and not to control coronavirus infections.

It's not clear how far it would go, but the New Delhi government has already shown its willingness to impose an emergency weekend lockdown, similar to the one implemented during the pandemic. It's now waiting for the Supreme Court's decision, which could come as early as Nov. 24.

The government is discussing whether it would keep the industries open, and some experts say a lockdown would achieve very little in controlling pollution but rather would cause disruptions in the economy and impact the livelihoods of millions of people.

“This is not the solution that we are looking for, because this is hugely disruptive. And we also have to keep in mind that the economy is already under pressure, poor people are at risk,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Center for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organization in New Delhi.

Even then, soaring pollution levels in the capital prompted a federal environment ministry panel to issue strict guidelines on Tuesday night to stem the pollution and to show residents that the government was taking action to control an environmental crisis that has been plaguing the capital for years.

Besides the closure of schools, the Commission for Air Quality Management ordered a stop to construction activities until Nov. 21 and banned trucks carrying non-essential goods. The panel also directed the states to “encourage” work from home for half of the employees in all private offices.

Despite some improvement in New Delhi air over the past two days, readings of dangerous particles Wednesday were still as high as seven times the safe level, climbing above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city.

The World Health Organization designates the safe level for the tiny, poisonous particles at 25.

Forecasters warned air quality would worsen before the arrival of cold winds next week that will blow away the smog.

Earlier this month, air quality levels fell to the “severe” category in the capital and residents faced bouts of severe, multiday pollution. It prompted a stern warning last week from India's Supreme Court, which ordered state and federal governments to take “imminent and emergency” measures to tackle what it called a crisis.

Among the many Indian cities gasping for breath, New Delhi tops the list every year. The crisis deepens particularly in the winter when the burning of crop residues in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap deadly smoke. That smoke travels to New Delhi, leading to a surge in pollution in the city of more than 20 million people.

Emissions from industries with no pollution control technology, pollutants from firecrackers linked to festivals, and construction dust also sharply increase in winter months.

Several studies have estimated that more than a million Indians die every year because of air pollution-related diseases.

The capital has often experimented with limiting the number of cars on the road to lower vehicular emissions, using large anti-smog guns and halting construction activity. But the steps have had little effect.

Residents say the government isn't doing enough.

Suresh Chand Jain, a New Delhi shop owner, said authorities should introduce stricter regulations aimed at limiting car use and controlling the burning of crop residues in neighboring states, emissions of which contribute hugely to the capital's bad air quality.

“Shutting down the city will not end the pollution,” said Jain.

Experts say such emergency measures are not helpful in the long run.

“These are done only to ensure that you don't worsen the situation, that you shave off the peak. But it is not a silver bullet that is going to just clean the air immediately,” said Roychowdhury.

SOCCER

Canadian men's team turning heads on historic World Cup qualifying run

Is Canada a lock to qualify for World Cup with win over Mexico?

James Sharman joins Sportsnet Central to discuss Canada's impressive win against Mexico, what it means at this point in qualification, how the weather was a factor and if Mexico is in the hot seat after two straight losses.

Canadian Press

November 17, 2021

Former Canada coach Stephen Hart startled a few friends recently with his assessment of the current Canadian men's team.

"I had said a few nights before with a group of friends that I thought Canada was the best team in CONCACAF, in terms of depth, in attack, in midfield,'' Hart said. "They kind of looked at me with a funny look. But I honestly thought that.''

On Tuesday, before a loud, proud and cold crowd of 44,212 at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, John Herdman's team proved Hart right.

Canada's 2-1 win over Mexico, coupled with the Americans' 1-1 tie earlier in the day in Jamaica and Canada's 1-0 victory over Costa Rica four days earlier in Edmonton, moved the unbeaten Canadians (4-0-4) into first place in the final round of World Cup qualifying in CONCACAF with six games remaining.

Come March, the top three countries will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean in Qatar next year. The fourth-place team will take part in an intercontinental playoff to see who joins them.

Canada's overall record in Qatar 2022 qualifying improved to 10-0-4 with a 44-6 edge in goals. And like the Olympic champion Canadian women, the men — ranked 48th in the world and on the climb — are turning heads and inspiring support.

Tuesday's triumph was Canada's first over Mexico since the 2000 Gold Cup quarterfinals. The Canadian men have now taken four of a possible six points against ninth-ranked Mexico in this qualifying round, having held the CONCACAF powerhouse to a 1-1 tie last month in the hostile ground of Mexico City's Azteca Stadium.

"After the game in Azteca, that's what made me think this team has such a good balance,'' said Hart, how coach of the Canadian Premier League's HFX Wanderers FC. "Of course I was elated they won the game (Tuesday) but they won the game in a fairly comfortable manner, in my view of it.''

Added former Canadian international Nick Dasovic: "You're not top of CONCACAF after eight games if you're not quality. You can get luck at some stages but this team is the real deal. The depth is amazing.

"I mean you'd have to say the '86 (World Cup) team was the best (Canadian men's) team up to now. I mean, obviously I didn't play in that one. I was a kid (18) at the time. But this is by far the best group of players we've had assembled without any shadow of a doubt for this national program.

"And they're all buying in. They're all playing for the jersey. They're all playing for the country. It's pretty amazing.''

Still, there is work to be done, as Herdman told his team Tuesday after it celebrated going atop the standings and (according to www.transfermarkt.com) leading all teams in world football with 55 goals this calendar year. Not to mention captain Atiba Hutchinson's record-setting 90th cap and Cyle Larin tying Dwayne De Rosario for the most international "A'' goals (22) among Canadian men.

"There was a lot of celebration'' Herdman told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "But at the end of it, I had some sobering words — that we've got 10 weeks to stay focused, to do the right things. Because we've got six more battles. And there will be battles. This isn't over.

"You've seen how tight it is at the top. Only three are going to go through. And it's going to go right to the wire. So we have to stay ready — and humble. And the lads, you could see their eyes focus back in. They know we've got some big steps ahead to take.''

An emotionally drained Herdman — "I was absolutely knackered'' — boarded a plane Wednesday morning to return to B.C. But he was still beaming.

"I just saw Milan (Borjan) in the (hotel) lobby and he just said 'I could wake up in Canada every day,''' Herdman said of his starting goalkeeper, who is an icon in Serbia where he plays for Red Star Belgrade. "The feeling's unreal for these guys. Kids are asking for autographs. And he said 'Never has this happened before.'

"And that's all I ever wanted. I just wanted to feel the love and get the country believing that we're a football country.''

One can argue the Canadian men did it in the most Canadian of settings, with defender Sam Adekugbe memorably throwing himself into a snowbank during the celebrations that followed Larin's opening goal.

Only two points separate Canada (4-0-4, 16 points) and fourth-place Panama (4-2-2, 14 points). The U.S. (4-1-3, 15 points) stands second and Mexico (4-2-2, 14 points) third. But perhaps most importantly, the top four are beginning to get separation on fifth-place Costa Rica (2-3-3, nine points).

Canada has a home game against the 13th-ranked U.S. sandwiched around visits to No. 68 Honduras and No. 65 El Salvador in late January, early February before finishing in March with games at No. 45 Costa Rica and No. 69 Panama with a home match against No. 59 Jamaica in-between.

Whatever happens, the Canadian men — like their female counterparts — are growing the sport.

"I think the country now has seen what football can do, what football is about for this country,'' said Pa-Modou Kah, a former Norwegian international who coaches Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League.

With Hutchinson and other players not available for all qualifying matches, the load fell on other players both on and off the field. Herdman credits Borjan, Jonathan Osorio, Maxime Crepeau, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Samuel Piette, Doneil Henry, Richie Laryea and Junior Hoilett as the leadership group that helped change the Canadian men's outlook.

"You can 100 per cent see that everybody's bought in,'' said Dasovic, a Canada Soccer Hall of Famer who won 63 caps between 1992 and 2004.

Henry sent a clear message that it was going to be a difficult night for the visitors, sending Napoli winger Hirving Lozano flying through the air in a crunching aerial challenge less than a minute into Tuesday's game.

With Canada Soccer — with the help of Mother Nature — having done what it could to make the Mexicans uncomfortable, Herdman told his players the game would come down to who could bring the intensity for the full 90 minutes.

"I thought Doneil set the tone for what was going to happen. It became a war on the benches (which both received yellow cards). It became a war on the field,'' said Herdman. "And the fans came with us.''

The Canadians' recent performances, coupled with the club success of players like Davies (Bayern Munich), Jonathan David (Lille) and Hutchinson and Larin (Besiktas), have also made wearing the Maple Leaf attractive.

Stephen Eustaquio, Steven Vitoria and Ike Ugbo were among those in Herdman's matchday squad Tuesday that chose to wear the Maple Leaf over another crest.

"Players want to jump on this ship. They want to get involved with this country,'' said Dasovic.

Herdman and Canada Soccer have also revamped the way the national teams are treated.

"When I played — most of my career as a national team player — it was what it was,'' said Dasovic, who is coach of the Vancouver Whitecaps under-19 side. "You weren't getting charter flights, you weren't getting first-class. It happened once in a blue moon when they got us some passes. Things like that.

"You knew you were going to be sitting in seat 32B or you're going to be trapped against the washroom or whatever.''

'Change it': FIFA encouraged by Edmonton's World Cup bid, but artificial turf has to go

CTV News Edmonton
Updated Nov. 17, 2021 

Team Canada's Alphonso Davies (19) makes a move on Costa Rica's Joel Nathaniel Campbell Samuels (12) during first half World Cup qualifier soccer action in Edmonton on Friday, November 12, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

EDMONTON -

International soccer’s governing body expressed encouragement on Wednesday at Edmonton’s 2026 FIFA World Cup bid, but also noted that Commonwealth Stadium’s artificial pitch would have to go.

Colin Smith, FIFA’s chief competitions and events officer, was in Edmonton to witness the Canadian men’s national team’s victories over Costa Rica last week and Mexico on Tuesday night.

He said the fan support and the city’s event experience were obvious.

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“The air was chilly. The atmosphere was warm,” he said. "To see the fans' support on what was a chilly evening was great to see.”

Smith spoke positively to reporters about the city’s bid and presentation earlier in the day, but noted the artificial turf at Commonwealth stadium wasn’t up to World Cup standards.

“Change it,” he said, when asked how the stadium’s pitch could be improved. "We play the World Cup obviously on natural grass.”

"It's about providing the ultimate stage to the ultimate players to play at the highest level.”

FIFA has previously said that it will make a hosting announcement in late 2021 but now says it will finalize the selection process in the first half of next year following a “thorough assessment.”

Today marks the start of the third round of potential venue inspections by Smith and other officials followed by visits to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Los Angeles and Toronto over the next five days.

He said that inspections focus on factors including transportation, accommodation, stadiums, and training sites.

"What we look at are the technical requirements we need to have a successful World Cup."

The tournament is expected to feature an expanded field of 48 teams with games spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The two Canadian venues under consideration are Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium and Toronto's BMO Field.

Montreal’s Olympic Stadium had been part of the bid, but the city withdrew from contention in July.

The City of Edmonton launched a survey in August of 2020 to measure how Edmontonians felt about hosting part of the tournament.

Survey results showed 77 per cent of people in the Edmonton region supported a bid, the city said, up from 74 per cent in 2018.

Vancouver withdrew as a potential host city in March 2018, citing concerns over cost and financial transparency.

FIFA will select up to 16 venues to host tournament matches.

OUCH

It’s not the policies – Erin O’Toole lacks charisma and appeal as a political leader

JOHN DOYLE

TELEVISION CRITIC

Erin O’Toole never came across as an inspiring, in-charge leader.

ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

This column is keeping a close eye on events in Ottawa. There’s a continuing drama there. It’s got a repetitive plot line, but while some players in the narrative change, the central figure remains the same. That’s Erin O’Toole.

Keeping a close eye means watching CBC News Network, in particular Power & Politics, CTV News Channel and such. It’s a no-fun assignment, but it does make a person an expert on household aids for the elderly and infirm. What’s being discussed often these past few weeks are attempts to undermine O’Toole’s leadership of the Conservative Party. Cabals have formed and been muted, and there’s been more than one attempt to launch a petition aimed at forcing a referendum on O’Toole’s leadership soon, rather than wait for a confidence vote in 2023.

These recalcitrant rebels accuse O’Toole of abandoning core Conservative principles and shifting the party’s policies to the centre leading up to the Sept. 20 federal election.

They’re missing the point – O’Toole’s weakness is his lack of charisma. In TV appearances and TV election ads, from his body language to his tone, even to his clothes and demeanour, O’Toole never came across as an inspiring, in-charge leader.

Winning in political campaigns is less about policy than it is about being a forceful presence in front of the cameras and in front of crowds of people. It can take ages to digest policy platforms, and few voters have the time to do it, but it takes only an instant to get the measure of a politician on TV, especially if they’re being asked questions. That’s just one area where O’Toole failed.

The backroom people who prep a leader for an election campaign have a bag of tricks they use. In O’Toole’s case he looked trimmer than before, wore a casual suit, often without a necktie, or no suit, and wore sneakers a lot. The idea was to make him suburban dad-like, relaxed and man-of-the-people. On the cover of “Canada’s Recovery Plan” O’Toole posed in a T-shirt with muscled arms folded, trying to suggest a Mike Holmes type. Nice try, but Mike Holmes has presence and charisma. O’Toole does not. Also, Mike Holmes’s brand has diminished a bit since he began hawking other companies that repair your bathroom or basement or something.

Humour and positivity matter, too. The audience projects hope onto such people, reassured and charmed by the confidence. And there’s automatic admiration of the unruffled, relaxed and self-deprecating manner of some politicians. O’Toole doesn’t do self-deprecation. (Maybe the sneakers were meant to signal that. Who knows? He was a perambulating confusion of media images.) Often politicians can seem self-conscious when they complain or rant, and O’Toole complained about the Liberals but he didn’t rant a lot. Maybe he was warned not to seem unhinged and angry. Finally, the most successful politicians are the rare ones who seems fully at peace with themselves and comfortable in their own skin. Watch O’Toole closely on TV and you don’t get that air of ease and confidence.

The attributes just listed, whether accrued naturally or taught, are excellent tools to help stand out in a media-saturated age, but to be successful, they must be used to deliver a discernible message. You can be grinning, cheery and utterly at ease on TV, but your message must be clear.

That’s where O’Toole’s already confusing media campaign went awry and it’s where those recalcitrant rebels might be a little bit right – the messaging on some issues was muddled. The most recent rebel against O’Toole’s leadership, Senator Denise Batters, made a video to state her complaints about O’Toole and she said, “On carbon tax, on guns, on conscience rights, he flip-flopped on our policies within the same week, the same day and even within the same sentence.”

Ouch. It’s exaggerating a bit, but is fundamentally correct. Policy positions shifted mid-campaign and changed from O’Toole’s 2020 leadership platform, making O’Toole’s answers to some questions hesitant and unclear. This was not restricted to the issues of guns and vaccinations. In the platform he used to become Conservative leader, he’d promised to defund the CBC: “I’ll defund CBC television and save taxpayers billions. Here’s how I’ll get it done: End all funding to CBC Digital; cut funding for CBC English TV and News Network by 50 per cent, with the goal to fully privatize CBC by the end of my first mandate; maintain funding for CBC Radio and Radio-Canada.”

During the federal election, there was an excruciating moment on CPAC when his new plan was explained as “a review assessing the viability of refocusing” the CBC. That’s what’s known as gibberish.

When you lack charisma, change positions and talk gibberish you are not an electable leader. That’s the glaring subtext of the drama unfolding in Ottawa. Never mind the Mike Holmes look; O’Toole doesn’t have the tools, in media-savviness or pizzazz, to be elected prime minister.

IT'S THE POLICIES TOO

NP Comment
John Robson: Perhaps Erin O'Toole and Jason Kenney could try being conservatives

Programmatic conservatism has three legs: traditional social values, strong national defence and free market economics

Author of the article: John Robson
Publishing date:Nov 16, 2021 • 

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference following a caucus meeting in Ottawa on Oct. 5, 2021.

 PHOTO BY THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE

The front page of Tuesday’s National Post highlighted the obvious troubles of Jason Kenney and Erin O’Toole , namely dismal polling numbers and party revolts. But the cause deserves attention too: Both deliberately jettisoned any semblance of principle in pursuit of partisan gain and for some reason aren’t popular with conservatives or voters. Weird, huh?

Kenney did win an Alberta election after uniting various conservative fragments. It’s easier than, say, doing it federally. But since it was all about the brass ring, give some credit for having grasped it briefly. Then consider columnist Don Braid’s claim that Monday “should have been one of Premier Jason Kenney’s best days in office” because he’d gotten hold of free money from Ottawa to shower on voters willing to let the state raise their kids for them.

Incorrect. Such social engineering might be wise. It might be popular. But it’s not conservative in any way shape or form. And if you say so much the worse for conservatism, you can join the NDP, or the Liberals who appear to be having Canada’s first NDP prime minister and loving it. But if you’re going to present as conservative, you need some conservatism or the base will turn on you and so will the public.

G.K. Chesterton warned about platitudes “in peril of becoming one of those things that are accepted ‘in principle’ by all unprincipled men.” In Canada one such is that conservatism is yucky. It may have a certain ignoble utility in rallying the rubes if they form part of your deplorable base, but it is both socially disreputable and intellectually laughable.

Kenney and O’Toole radiate that attitude. And it’s not working for them, and can’t.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. 

PHOTO BY DAVID BLOOM/POSTMEDIA

We expect a New York Times “news” story to say “Biden signs infrastructure bill, promoting benefits for Americans. Billions of dollars will now pour into American communities” and not ask whether borrowed money is real wealth, every dollar spent on handouts doesn’t ultimately have to be raised in taxes, government is doing too much for (or to) the people that they should be doing for themselves and so on. But if conservative parties do not ask such questions, their supporters and voters will rightly ask what they are even for.

Programmatic conservatism has three legs: traditional social values, strong national defence and free market economics. Normally the unprincipled types pre-emptively chuck the first and pay lip service to the second but spend all the money on social programs, which dooms their efforts to rally at the third and last ditch. And it is an even worse idea than it sounds, because conservatism has a metaphysical foundation they too often casually forget rather than deliberately reject.

Fundamentally, the reason conservatives believe in the policies they believe in is that they are convinced there is something to believe in. There really is Truth, epistemological and moral. They don’t and can’t think winning is everything. So they’re far less comfortable than the relativist parties with abandoning principle even for immediate gain, let alone humiliating defeat, including by substituting organizational ruthlessness for conviction.

As for the general public, I think partisan conservatives frustrated that their beliefs seem to be a hard sell underestimate their inherent advantages. The late great political scientist Robert Conquest formulated a series of Laws of Politics that regrettably lack canonical form because he expounded them in conversation not a formal treatise. But one has been given as “Generally speaking, everybody is reactionary on subjects he knows about” or “Everyone is conservative about what he knows best.”

Conquest did not mean they’re the progressive parody of conservatism, ignorant, bigoted and frozen with fear. Rather, they have a common-sense preference in their professional and personal lives for the tried and true over the speculative and uninformed. They know that to scoff at faith and honour is fatal to a community, that lying is wrong and so is infidelity, and I don’t just mean sexual, and that if you don’t work you die.


They may not like being reminded of these things. So it’s tempting to take the easy way out and try to bribe them instead, if you are unprincipled. But unfortunately for such politicians, especially under a conservative banner, most normal human beings admire honourable conduct and dislike weasels. So in practice conservatives willing to stay the course gain more than they lose, unlike their more “worldly” rivals. And where shall we find such people?

Not on that front page. Instead, another of Conquest’s laws is “The simplest way to explain the behaviour of any bureaucratic organization is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies” or, even more bluntly, “Every organization appears to be headed by secret agents of its opponents.”

Hey, Jason Kenney and Erin O’Toole, we found your real problem.

NOT ALL HACKERS ARE RUSSIAN

Ontario teen arrested after allegedly stealing $46 million in cryptocurrency from one person in the U.S.

Hamilton police told CTV News Toronto this is the largest cryptocurrency scam involving one person in Canadian history

Sean Davidson

CTV News Toronto Multi-Platform Writer
 Wednesday, November 17, 2021 

. (Pexels)

TORONTO -- An Ontario teenager has been arrested after allegedly stealing $46 million from one person in a massive cryptocurrency scam in the United States.

Hamilton police announced the arrest on Wednesday after a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the United States Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force that began in March 2020.

According to police, the victim had been targeted by a SIM swap attack, a method of manipulating cellular network carriers so scammers can intercept two-factor authentication requests.

"The joint investigation revealed that some of the stolen cryptocurrency was used to purchase an online username that was considered to be rare in the gaming community,” police said in a statement. "This transaction led investigators to uncover the account holder of the rare username."

A Hamilton youth was arrested in mid-2020 in connection with the incident for theft over $5,000 and possession of property or proceeds of property obtained by crime.

The age of the suspect has not been released by investigators.

“Because of the YCJA [Youth Criminal Justice Act] and just because it’s part of our investigation, we made the decision not to disclose the age of the accused,” Det. Const. Kenneth Kirkpatrick told CTV News Toronto.

Investigators said this is the largest cryptocurrency scam involving one person in Canadian history.

As the case makes its way through the courts, Hamilton police are asking the public to be vigilant in the security of their funds, whether they are held in crypto or centralized currency.

“If you have 15 accounts all with the same password, you’re definitely not secure,” Kirkpatrick said. “So having different passwords for each different account, that’s very important.”

Kirkpatrick went on to say that multi-factor authentication is key to protecting your personal information and money.

“Often, all these accounts have the ability to add a second factor, or even third-factor authentication…In today’s day and age, you need to kind of go one step further,” he said.

CTV News Toronto has contacted the FBI and United States Secret Electronic Crimes Task Force for more information and is awaiting a response.