WATER IS PROFIT

Intel will pay water authority $32M to build 6-mile pipeline

Theresa Davis, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Fri, January 7, 2022,

Jan. 7—For Intel, making the computing chips that power modern devices is impossible without water.

Millions of gallons are needed each day to rinse the chemicals that polish each layer of the tiny semiconductors.

The chip-making giant announced a $3.5 billion retrofit of its Rio Rancho plant in May to boost production capacity of its chip-packaging technology.

To support water demand for the expansion, the company will pay the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority to build a $32 million, 6-mile water pipeline from two wells west of Universe Boulevard to the Rio Rancho plant.

Linda Qian, spokeswoman for Intel New Mexico, said the company will then filter the nonpotable groundwater onsite into "ultrapure water."

"We use that ultrapure water to clean the surface of the silicon wafer," Qian said. "If you think of the chip process as building layers on top of a wafer, in between each of those layers, you rinse with ultrapure water."

When the 200-acre site opened, Qian said, manufacturing demanded about 2 gallons of fresh water to produce 1 gallon of ultrapure water.

Now, the ratio is about 1 to 1.

Intel estimates demand at the expanded plant could be 1 million to 3 million gallons of water a day.

The pipeline project will also replace well motors, pumps and casings.

Intel also uses water for cooling towers, industrial equipment and landscaping.

"Most of our water is used and recycled, and used again, treated and then discharged," Qian said. "A portion of the water we use is lost to irrigation or some other processes, so our restoration efforts are focused on closing that gap."

In 2020, Intel pumped more than 756 million gallons of groundwater for its New Mexico plant, according to company data.

The company treated and discharged about 705 million gallons, or 93% of its withdrawals, back into the municipal system.

Intel has a goal of restoring more water than it uses by 2030.

In New Mexico, Intel has funded watershed restoration projects with Audubon, Trout Unlimited and the National Forest Foundation.

Qian said the company is pursuing more water and habitat projects with conservation groups to balance the increase in groundwater pumping.

The city-county water utility treats Intel's wastewater again before discharging it into the Rio Grande.

Utility spokesman David Morris said the two groundwater wells west of Universe Boulevard were taken out of service about two decades ago because they exceeded new federal standards for arsenic.

"Arsenic is mainly a West Side issue because of naturally occurring arsenic related to the volcanoes and volcanic rock," Morris said.

But the water authority reserved the wells as a backup source for the northwest part of town.

"In times of really high demand, maybe in the height of the summer months ... we can blend water from these wells with water brought in from elsewhere to get it to the federal standard," Morris said.

Intel will fund $15 million in transmission lines to boost the area's drinking water capacity and replace the utility's backup water source.

The water authority is preparing to ask the state Legislature for $30 million for projects in the utility's northwest service area, although Morris said the work is "only tangentially related to Intel."

"We're looking at adding some arsenic treatment capacity out there with an additional arsenic treatment plant," he said.

"We need to do some improvements to an existing pump station and we need to upgrade reservoirs."

The utility anticipates pipeline construction will begin in April. The system should be delivering water to the Intel facility by December.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.

BOTTOM OF THE BOOT, LICKER

Column: Scraping bottom, Kevin McCarthy manages to sink even lower

Mark Z. Barabak
Fri, January 7, 2022

Rep. Kevin McCarthy in 201`8. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Crazytown) has a history of spewing anti-vaccine, anti-mask, anti-science claptrap. This week her wacky effusions led to permanent suspension of her personal Twitter account.

Facebook — corporate motto: Putting profits first — also saw fit to briefly banish the Georgia congresswoman, an exile that lasted all of 24 hours. By Tuesday, Greene was once more free to offer constituent services and promulgate perfectly reasonable theories like the one about California's 2018 wildfires being started by Jewish-controlled space lasers.

In the year since taking office, Greene has proved to be nothing more than a political distraction, and an odious one at that. But the way GOP House leader Kevin McCarthy responded to her sanctioning by social media — and the fact he chose to weigh in — was telling.

"The American experiment is dependent on the freedom and ability of Americans to express themselves, which Republicans are fighting to preserve," the Republican from Bakersfield said in a statement.

The American experiment is also dependent on recognizing the will of voters as expressed in free and fairly conducted elections, which is something McCarthy and 146 of his Republicans colleagues refused to do on Jan. 6, 2021. But that's another column.

McCarthy further threatened to exact revenge. If Republicans take control of Congress in November's midterm election, he said, they would respond by "shutting down the business model you rely on today."

"Twitter (all big tech), if you shut down constitutionally protected speech (not lewd and obscene) you should lose 230 protection," McCarthy tweeted, referring to the provision in the 1996 federal Communications Decency Act that allows companies to publish user-posted materials without being held liable.

Earlier, McCarthy had warned telecommunications and social media companies against cooperating with congressional investigators probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, saying Republicans “will not forget” their actions. (Nice little money-minting industry you got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it.)

There are many good reasons for a long-overdue clampdown on monopolistic disinformation superspreaders like Facebook and other social media. But thwarting an investigation into the attempted violent overthrow of the government and restoring Greene's personal Twitter account are not two of them.

It's not as though Greene has been silenced. Her official congressional account remains fully functional, serving as a reliable source of misplaced pity and compassion for the jailed insurrectionists who tried to overturn the 2020 election.

Moreover, there is no constitutional right to be on Twitter or Facebook, any more than there is a constitutional right to walk into a store and take whatever you like without paying.

"Twitter simply kicking someone off is not a 1st Amendment violation," said Eugene Volokh, a UCLA expert on constitutional law. Government entities, not private companies, are bound by the guarantee of free expression.

Greene's quasi-termination for repeatedly violating Twitter's terms of service was, however, grist for an inevitable fundraising appeal. ("Rush an emergency contribution of $1.00 right away," she pleaded.) Having lost her committee assignments for, among other things, advocating violence against Democrats, Greene apparently has little to do with her time besides fleecing the gullible and outrage-prone.

Way back in 2019, McCarthy was among those Republicans who supported removing GOP Rep. Steve King from his committee assignments after the Iowa congressman defended the notion of white supremacy in a New York Times interview. (It was just the latest in a history of bigoted remarks from King.)

Fast-forward to last November. When Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was sanctioned and stripped of his committee assignments for tweeting a video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and swinging swords at President Biden, McCarthy adopted a much different stance. He told reporters that Gosar and Greene might even get better committee assignments if the GOP reclaims control of the House in November.

That's quite the incentive structure: Behave badly and reap the benefit.

However, that turnabout is nothing compared with McCarthy's head-snapping response to the violent and traitorous events of Jan. 6.

He initially held Donald Trump to account, flatly stating, "The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters.” That changed when the anticipated anti-Trump backlash failed to materialize among rank-and-file Republican voters. Soon McCarthy was on a flight to Palm Beach, Fla., to grovel and beg forgiveness.

For McCarthy, it all comes down to Trump, his worshipers like Greene and Gosar, and a belief that voters in the former president's thrall are indispensable to a robust GOP turnout this fall and McCarthy's long-nurtured dream of claiming the House speakership.

Holding out Greene as some kind of free-speech martyr because her personal Twitter account was shuttered is as fanciful and absurd as one of those pyrotechnic Jewish lasers. It's also a great deal more cynical.

But, sadly, it's not surprising. As McCarthy grasps for the height of congressional power, the only question is how low he is willing to go.

Apparently, he knows no bottom.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

TIT FOR TAT
Russia reacts furiously to Blinken jibe over troops in Kazakhstan


U.S. Secretary of State Blinken speaks about Russia and Ukraine at State Department in Washington

Sat, January 8, 2022, 6:31 AM·2 min read

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia responded angrily on Saturday to a comment by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Kazakhstan might have a hard time getting rid of Russian troops, saying he should reflect instead on U.S. military meddling around the world.

Blinken on Friday challenged Russia's justification for sending forces into Kazakhstan https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/kazakhstan-detains-ex-security-chief-crisis-convulses-nation-2022-01-08 after days of violent unrest in the Central Asian country.

"One lesson of recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it's sometimes very difficult to get them to leave," Blinken said.

Russia's foreign ministry called Blinken's remark "typically offensive" and accused him of joking about tragic events in Kazakhstan. It said Washington should analyse its own track record of interventions in countries such as Vietnam and Iraq.

"If Antony Blinken loves history lessons so much, then he should take the following into account: when Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive and not be robbed or raped," the ministry said on its Telegram social media channel.

"We are taught this not only by the recent past but by all 300 years of American statehood."

The ministry said the deployment in Kazakhstan was a legitimate response to Kazakhstan's request for support from the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, an alliance of ex-Soviet states that includes Russia.

The Kazakh intervention comes at a time of high tension in Moscow's relations with Washington as the two countries prepare for talks on the Ukraine crisis starting on Monday.

Moscow has deployed large numbers of troops near its border with Ukraine but denies Western suggestions it plans to invade.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Timothy Heritage)

The judge who sentenced Ahmaud Arbery's killers made the courtroom sit in silence for 1 minute to put 'into context' how long the men chased Arbery

Rebecca Cohen

Fri, January 7, 2022,

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley speaks with attorneys during the trial.AP Photo

• The judge who sentenced the three men guilty for Ahmaud Arbery's murder made the courtroom sit in silence for one minute before reading their sentencing.

• Judge Timothy Walmsley told the courtroom Friday that he wanted to put "into context" how long they chased Arbery.

• All three were sentenced to life in prison, and only one of them was granted the possibility of parole.

The judge who sentenced the three men guilty for Ahmaud Arbery's murder made the courtroom sit in silence for one minute before reading their sentencing to put 'into context' how long they chased Arbery.

Judge Timothy Walmsley told the courtroom on Friday that he was going to "sit quietly for one minute and that one minute represents a fraction of the time that Ahmaud Arbery was running" away.

He said the three men convicted in his death — Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael, and William Bryan — chased Arbery for five minutes in total.

The McMichaels and Bryan trailed Arbery in a pickup truck in February 2020 while he was jogging and fatally shot him After a confrontation, Travis McMichael used his shotgun to shoot and kill Arbery.

The men had claimed Arbery was responsible for robberies in their area and claimed self-defense in the killing.

All three were found guilty of Arbery's murder in November.

Walmsley sentenced the McMichaels to life in prison without parole on Friday. Bryan — who didn't fire the fatal shot but did chase Arbery and filmed the shooting — was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, Insider reported.

Arbery killers get life in prison; 

no parole for father, son

RUSS BYNUM

Thu, January 6, 2022, 

BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — Three white men convicted of murder for chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison Friday, with a judge denying any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man.

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley said Arbery left his home for a jog and ended up running for his life for five minutes as the men chased him until they finally cornered him. The judge paused for a minute of silence to help drive home a sense of what that time must have felt like for Arbery, whose killing became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice.

“When I thought about this, I thought from a lot of different angles. I kept coming back to the terror that must have been in the mind of the young man running through Satilla Shores,” he said, mentioning the neighborhood where Arbery was killed.

Greg and Travis McMichael grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to chase Arbery after spotting him running in their neighborhood outside the port city of Brunswick on Feb. 23, 2020. Their neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan joined the pursuit in his own truck and recorded cellphone video of Travis McMichael firing close-range shotgun blasts into Arbery.

“Ahmaud Arbery was then hunted down and shot, and he was killed because individuals here in this courtroom took the law into their own hands,” the judge said. Walmsley ordered the McMichaels to serve life without parole and granted Bryan a chance to earn parole after serving at least 30 years in prison.

A few dozen supporters cheered Arbery’s family as they exited onto the courthouse steps Friday afternoon.

“Today your son has made history, because we have people who are being held accountable for lynching a Black man in America!” said Benjamin Crump, a civil attorney representing the family.

Murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison under Georgia law unless prosecutors seek the death penalty, which they opted against in this case. During the sentencing hearing, Arbery's family had asked the judge to show no lenience in deciding whether to grant an eventual chance at parole.

Arbery's sister recalled his humor, describing him as a positive thinker with a big personality. She told the judge her brother had dark skin “that glistened in the sunlight," thick, curly hair and an athletic build, factors that made him a target for the men who pursued him.

“These are the qualities that made these men assume that Ahmaud was a dangerous criminal and chase him with guns drawn. To me, those qualities reflect a young man full of life and energy who looked like me and the people I loved," Jasmine Arbery said.

Arbery's mother said she suffered a personal, intense loss made worse by a trial where the defense was that her son had made bad choices that led to his death.

“This wasn’t a case of mistaken identity or mistaken fact. They chose to target my son because they didn’t want him in their community. They chose to treat him differently than other people who frequently visited their community,” Wanda Cooper-Jones said. "And when they couldn’t sufficiently scare or intimidate him, they killed him.”

The sentences matched the recommendation of prosecutor Linda Dunikoski, who said all deserved the mandatory life sentence for showing “no empathy for the trapped and terrified Ahmaud Arbery.”

Contending the McMichaels still believed they didn’t do anything wrong, Dunikoski disclosed Friday that Greg McMichael gave Bryan's cellphone video of the shooting to an attorney, who leaked it.

“He believed it was going to exonerate him,” the prosecutor said.

The McMichaels' defense attorneys argued that their clients deserved the possibility of parole because the killing was an unplanned, unintentional act. Bryan's lawyer said he showed remorse and cooperated with police, turning over the cellphone video of the shooting to help them get to the truth.

“Mr. Bryan isn’t the one who brought a gun,” Kevin Gough said. “He was unarmed. And I think that reflects his intentions.”

Bryan is 52, raising the chances that he will spend the remainder of his life in prison even with the chance of parole after serving 30 years.

The guilty verdicts against the men handed down the day before Thanksgiving prompted a victory celebration outside the Glynn County courthouse. In addition to murder, all three men were also convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment. Travis and Greg McMichael were each sentenced to an additional 20 years for aggravated assault.

Defense attorneys have said they plan to appeal the convictions. They have 30 days after sentencing to file them.

Next month, the McMichaels and Bryan face a second trial, this time in U.S. District Court on federal hate crime charges. A judge has set jury selection to begin Feb. 7. Prosecutors will argue that the three men violated Arbery's civil rights and targeted him because he was Black.

TRUMP SPAC

DWAC stock slides 10% amid volatile two days

Ines Ferré

·Markets Reporter

Fri, January 7, 2022, 

Digital World Acquisition (DWAC) stock slid 10%, after surging as much as 20% a day earlier following a release date for former President Trump's new social media app.

Apple's app store states the app called "Truth Social," which can be pre-ordered, will be available on February 21.

Shares of DWAC initially shot up on the news Thursday afternoon. Friday morning though the stock opened lower. 

Shares of Digital World Acquisition have been volatile since announcing a tie-up to take Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) public. 

DWAC price action for first week of 2022

DWAC shares had jumped more than 800% over the span of two sessions last October after the merger plans were announced. 

The social media company will create a platform to “standup” against “Big Tech,” according to Trump, chairman of TMTG.

Digital World Acquisition had seen its market cap balloon to more than $8 billion at one point last year. 

Days later, short-seller Iceberg announced it was betting against the company, bringing the stock price down 10% in one day. 

The speculative stock had reached an all time intraday high of $121.80 on October 25. On Friday, shares closed at $53.98 each. 

PPE FOR THE PEOPLE

N95 and KN95 Masks Are Held to Different Standards, So You Need to Be Careful When Choosing One

Courtney Linder
Fri, January 7, 2022

Photo credit: Boston Globe / Contributor / Getty Images


Due to new, more contagious variants of COVID-19 emerging in the U.S., medical experts are recommending the use of N95 or KN95 masks.


These masks can filter a higher percent of particles in the air than surgical masks or homemade cloth face coverings.


N95 and KN95 masks are held to different standards, though, so you need to be careful in deciding which is right for you.

You've probably been wearing a mask when out in public for a majority of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, but are you still wearing the right one? Since new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19)—like the Delta variant, and now Omicron—are even more contagious, it's important to wear masks with a high-filtration capacity and a snug fit. N95 and KN95 masks best fit that bill.
🦠 Science is on our side. We'll help you make sense of it.

But what exactly are N95 and KN95 masks, what are the differences between them, and which mask should you ultimately purchase? Here are the facts.


➡️ Who Needs to Wear a Mask?

In short: everyone.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) mask guide, last updated in October, everyone two years of age or older who is not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in indoor public places (though it is not necessary to wear one in uncrowded outdoor settings).

Folks with conditions that lead to weakened immune systems, or those who are currently taking medications that can weaken their immune systems, should wear masks even if they are fully vaccinated.

Even if you are fully vaccinated, the CDC recommends that you wear a mask in regions with high numbers of COVID-19 cases—which is virtually everywhere in the United States at the moment, due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. That not only includes indoor spaces, but also crowded outdoor spaces, like concerts. You should also mask up in places where you might come into close contact with people who are not fully vaccinated, both to protect yourself and others.
➡️ What Are N95 Masks?

Photo credit: JOE CICAK - Getty Images

The N95 respirator is considered the gold standard of face coverings in the medical world, and even in the construction industry. These face coverings diverge from surgical masks in that the edges are designed to fit snugly to your face.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines N95 respirators as a "protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, still doesn't recommend the general public wear them. But that's only in order to reserve supplies for health care workers and medical first responders—not because the masks are ineffective.
➡️ What Do N95 Masks Look Like?

N95 masks are made of tough, yet flexible non-woven polypropylene fiber. They're mostly round with a protrusion near the top to help cover your nose. Elastic strings stretch around your head to hold the mask in place. N95s sometimes feature a valve to make inhalation and exhalation easier, but they're not required. The mask should be labeled with "N95" on it. Watch out for typos, as these could be counterfeits.
➡️ How Do N95 Masks Work?

N95s filter out at least 95 percent of very small particles that are about 0.3 microns in size, according to the CDC. But this is the particle size for which the masks are least efficient. In fact, N95s are better at filtering out particles that are either larger or smaller than 0.3 microns.

These masks can filter about 99.8 percent of particles with a diameter of about 0.1 microns, according to a February 2017 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene. As an April 2020 review published in the journal eLife notes, SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with about a 0.1 micron diameter, so N95s are particularly suited to our current pandemic.

Why are N95s so efficient at filtering out the smaller particles? It has something to do with "Brownian motion," or a phenomenon that causes particles smaller than 0.3 microns to move in a haphazard, zig-zagging motion. This makes it more likely for the particles to get caught inside the fibers of the N95. Plus, the masks use electrostatic absorption, which means that rather than passing through the fiber, the particles are trapped.

"Although these particles are smaller than the pores, they can be pulled over by the charged fibers and get stuck," Jiaxing Huang, a materials scientist at Northwestern University, told USA Today. "When the charges are dissipated during usage or storage, the capability of stopping virus-sized particles diminishes. This is the main reason of not recommending the reuse of N95 masks."

In an extensive review of various face masks published in September 2020 in the journal Science Advances, researchers from Duke University found N95 masks were most effective in filtering out particles. Those masks had a droplet transmission rate of less than 0.1 percent. However, this is with the caveat that N95s don't necessarily protect others around you.

"[T]he performance of the valved N95 mask is likely affected by the exhalation valve, which opens for strong outwards airflow," the Duke scientists say. "While the valve does not compromise the protection of the wearer, it can decrease the protection of persons surrounding the wearer. In comparison, the performance of the fitted, non-valved N95 mask was far superior."

There are also various types of N95 respirators, so make sure the one you're using is rated for the performance you want. Some masks are defined as surgical, while others aren't. Some aren't fluid-resistant. All N95 masks should protect you from airborne particles, though, according to 3M, the manufacturer of most N95s in the U.S.
➡️ What Are KN95 Masks?

Photo credit: Smith Collection/Gado - Getty Images

KN95s are closely related to N95s, but only the latter is approved for use in medical settings in the U.S., and the reasoning is pretty simple: N95s are the U.S. standard, while KN95s are the Chinese standard for these close-fitting filtration devices. Both are rated to filter out 95 percent of very small particles.

Due to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the U.S. at the start of the pandemic, the CDC has authorized the use of KN95 masks as a suitable alternative for N95 masks. However, a number of hospitals and other KN95 wearers have pointed out some discrepancies in quality.


*At time of update (January 7, 2022), the masks featured in this story appeared on the FDA's Appendix A: Authorized Imported, Non-NIOSH Approved Respirators Manufactured in China list. We suggest you check each listing's manufacturer name against the FDA approved list before you make a purchase. The brand name does not always match the manufacturer.
➡️ What Do KN95 Masks Look Like?


KN95 masks look a lot like N95s at first glance, but they feature a seam down the middle that makes it possible to fold the masks in half. The masks use ear loops to secure your face covering.

➡️ How Do KN95 Masks Work?

KN95 masks work similarly to N95 masks, but they aren't regulated by the same organizations. This has led to some questions about the efficacy of KN95 masks in surgical settings. (You can see if the FDA has approved your model of KN95 for emergency medical use by checking this list.)

In a September 2020 analysis of 200 KN95 masks from 15 manufacturers, the patient safety nonprofit ECRI found that up to 70 percent of the protective face coverings didn't meet U.S. standards for effectiveness, "raising risks of contracting COVID-19 for care providers and patients at hospitals and other healthcare organizations that imported masks from China."

Still, KN95 masks are better than surgical masks or cloth masks, according to ECRI. These are most appropriate in cases where you don't expect to come into contact with bodily fluids. Non-certified masks that use head and neck straps will also serve you better than those with ear loops.
➡️ How Are N95 and KN95 Masks Different?

Photo credit: Gaelle Beller Studio - Getty Images

Both N95 and KN95 masks use multiple layers of synthetic material to protect you from outside particles. And, as their names suggest, both must filter out 95 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns in size or larger.


The main differences are the looks and regulating bodies that control the masks. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) regulates N95 masks, putting each mask prototype from various manufacturers through a rigorous testing process. (You can find a list of CDC-approved N95 masks for use in surgical settings here.) Meanwhile, the Chinese government regulates KN95 masks.
➡️ Here's the Bottom Line

For the average person, N95 masks and KN95 masks have negligible differences. If you're not a health care worker, either should suffice. But if you can't find either kind of mask, consider double masking with a surgical mask beneath your cloth mask.

SCHADENFREUDE

Canadian influencers who partied maskless on a plane are stranded in Mexico because airlines won't fly them home

Canadian airline companies have refused to take the partygoers home.

GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images

• About 100 partygoers who threw a rowdy New Year's party on a plane now can't find a flight home.

• Airlines are refusing to accommodate them after videos of their maskless celebration surfaced.

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the partygoers "idiots" and said an investigation was underway.

A group of passengers who partied, drank, and vaped while maskless on a Canadian charter flight are now stuck in Cancun, Mexico, after multiple airlines denied them flights home, the party's organizer said.

Authorities were shocked this week by videos of the partygoers dancing in the aisle, downing vodka, and blowing e-cigarette smoke into the camera on a December 30 flight from Montreal. The clips were shared on Thursday by Le Journal de Montréal's Francis Pilon.

Pilon reported the 100 passengers — several of whom are reality-TV stars or social-media influencers — became so rowdy that flight attendants tried to avoid the cabin as much as possible.

The event's organizer, James William Awad, said the return trip was canceled by Sunwing, the airline that flew them to Cancun.

Other airlines, such as Air Canada and Air Transat, also declined to take them back to Montreal, citing safety issues for their crew and other passengers, CNN reported.

Awad said in a statement on Thursday that he spoke with Sunwing but that they "couldn't conclude on an agreement" because the airline wouldn't serve the passengers meals on their five-hour flight home.

Sunwing listed conditions for the partygoers' return flight, requiring them to be sober while on board, to remain seated unless using the bathroom, and to allow security staff to fly with them at Awad's expense, he said.

The organizer said he agreed to these conditions, except for the lack of meals on the flight. Sunwing and Awad did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

The trip by his organization, 111 Private Club, a self-described "exclusive private group (by invitation only)," was Awad's first travel event, he said. According to him, everyone on the plane had been tested for COVID-19 before boarding the plane to Cancun.

"I have significantly learned, and I am still learning from this experience. Learning from them is what makes the difference," he said.

But the party plane's disregard for Montreal's pandemic rules has already summoned the fury of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who called the partygoers "idiots" and said the videos were "a slap in the face," The Associated Press reported. He pledged a full investigation into the event by Transport Canada.

Transport Canada said those found in violation of its rules could be fined up to $3,938 for every infraction, The AP reported.

One passenger, a real-estate broker, was suspended from his job after he was filmed with a loudspeaker in his hand while partying in the skies, Pilon reported\

Canada party plane influencer 'idiots' fly home to face music

Sat, January 8, 2022

The group was stranded in Cancun, Mexico, after airlines refused to fly them back to Canada

Canadian officials say a group of influencers whose rowdy behaviour on a flight led to their stranding in Mexico have flown home to face an inquiry.

In a briefing, a top health official said that 27 had returned and were screened at the airport. Some of the group could face stiff punishments.

Video shows a party on their charter plane without masks. Some were passing around bottles and vaping.

Their behaviour caused the airline to refuse to fly them home.

Sunwing Airlines cancelled a 5 January return trip for group of about 130 from Cancun and carriers Air Transat and Air Canada also said they would refuse to fly them.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the group's behaviour a "slap in the face" to citizens who have been following proper social distancing measures, as well as airline workers.

In French, Mr Trudeau referred to them as "idiots" and "barbarians".

Canadian Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said in a briefing on Friday: "We know that this issue of Sunwing travellers having behaved irresponsibly, inexcusably, and unacceptably on a flight to Mexico [has] raised a lot of anger and frustration."

The 27 who have returned were tested for the virus, and "were checked with regards to whether they had obeyed and followed all of the health regulations they were supposed to follow throughout their trip".

They had to provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19, a negative PCR test, and a quarantine plan.

Mr Duclos said the Quebec police department was investigating the travellers.

Transport Canada is also investigating the group - they could issue fines of up to C$5,000 (£2,900) per offence.

Rebecca St Pierre, a 19-year-old student from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, told the Canadian Press she had won the trip on Instagram.

She said she had tested positive for Covid on Wednesday, and was not sure how to pay for her hotel stay. She estimated that about 30 people from the plane had tested positive.

"I was expecting a relaxing week, where I was going to be careful,″ she said. "But this turns out to be an expensive trip for something that was supposed to be free." She is isolating in Tulum, south of Cancun, reports the Canadian Press.

Ms St Pierre added that some travellers had planned to put Vaseline up their nose for their return trip, in an effort to thwart Covid testing.

Other stranded passengers include local reality TV actors.

The trip organiser, identified as James William Awad, said in a statement on Thursday that Sunwing was being unreasonable over a "simple party".

"I will take a moment to sit down and rethink everything,″ he said on Twitter. "Especially how I can do things better next time."

Meet the musician behind the maskless influencer party flight who likens himself to James Bond

Sheila Flynn

THE INDEPENDENT
Sat, January 8, 2022

James William Awad, who performs under the name Senior, is an aspiring musician who organised infamous pandemic party flight from Canada to Mexico (YouTube/Senior)

The man behind a plane full of “private club” members so badly behaved in-flight that airlines refused to take them home has been revealed as an aspiring musician who’s already changed his name at least once and whose business dealings prompted warnings from the Canadian government.

James William Awad, who was known as Kevin Awad until 2019, is a 28-year-old from Montreal with a penchant for flashy clothes and self-promotion, his social media accounts reveal. He’s also a musician releasing songs under the name Senior; that Instagram account has 1million followers and consists mostly of clips from his music videos and photos of Mr Awad dressed expensively, counting money or posing broodingly in swanky locations.

He changed his name, he told The Independent in an email Saturday, “cause people always used to call me James. In reference to James Bond.”

Mr Awad was the mastermind behind a chartered Sunwing flight from Montreal to Cancun last week in which revelers were filmed drinking, vaping and dancing – all maskless. The flight was organised by Mr Awad’s members-only 111 Private Club, with passengers including influencers and reality TV personalities.

Footage from the flight sparked outrage, especially after many passengers allegedly later tested positive for coronavirus. The partiers were left stranded when Sunwing and other airlines, following their behaviour on the first flight, refused to take them back to Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in French, called the group “idiots” and “barbarians”. His government has launched an inquiry.

Footage from the hedonistic flight sparked outrage, especially after many passengers later tested positive for coronavirus. The partiers were left stranded when Sunwing and other airlines, following their behaviour on the first flight, refused to take them back to Canada (Twitter: FrancisPilon_)

“Most people left Mexico already and are back in Montreal,” Mr Awad told The Independent on Saturday. “Some stayed in in Mexico to enjoy the sun a bit more and some are waiting for the big plane to return home. I am working on the plane right now. Almost done negotiations (sic).”

Those negotiations have been going on for days. As headlines and controversy swirled regarding the group’s travel plans, Mr Awad on Thursday released a statement on a blog seemingly created just this month.

“The 111 private club is a dream and a vision that I poured my heart and soul into creating,” he wrote. “This was my first travel event. I have significantly learned, and I am still learning from this experience. Learning from them is what makes the difference.”

A video he posted to Twitter on Friday, however, was more defiant – and arguably tone-deaf during the pandemic that has killed millions across the globe.

Mr Awad – who has fewer than 4,000 Twitter followers – wrote that “trying to make this world a better place, is a death bed, i guess (sic).”

He continued: “Did a new years travel event to make every body happy and build a system where every one can enjoy entertainment safely and together, spent hundreds of thousands, only to get killed by media again in the end.

“Building a decentralized system where every one can work together to build projects and make life better for everybody, and I know, it could be my final death bed. I’m still gonna do it...,” he wrote, ending the post with a sad emoji.

The words were set to music, one of his own songs as Senior in which the lyrics mention police and a “covid party”.

The entire incident called to mind the disastrous Fyre Festival, organised in the Caribbean nearly five years ago by another smooth-talking self-promoter, Billy McFarland. While that debacle took place years before the pandemic, travellers were similarly stranded after plans and promises from organisers turned out to be little more than wishful thinking.

One Twitter user, @j_jaj23, on Friday responded jokingly to a statement from Mr Awad, writing: “Ja Rule, Billy McFarland and the entire Fyre Festival wants to talk to you for a possible collab.”



This isn’t the first time Mr Awad has attempted a major undertaking, however – nor the first time he’s landed in hot water.

According to a glowing press release issued in April 2020 about his business efforts, the 28-year-old first began programming at age 11, later becoming a freelance developer at 14 and lying about his age to get work.

He tells The Independent that, growing up in Montreal, “my dream was to build video games.”

His skills, however, got him “his first real project” for “a bank in Mexico,” according to the 2020 release. “He was tasked with fixing and creating features for a user management system. Luckily, they never asked to speak on the phone with him, as they easily could have guessed his age.

“James ended up making a couple thousand bucks while working on multiple projects. He took all this money to buy C++ coding books and pay his parents mortgage for the year.

“At the age of 15, James got serious about playing video games. He found a trick in an online game by generating coins. James then sold the coins to a company in China. That company would then sell them to players all around the world.”

The release claims he also went on to start a successful online clothing store before setting up TripleOne, a “decentralized company where users around the world work together to build and manage it ... James says that one day users of TripleOne will manage and operate e-commerce, real estate, and other businesses as a decentralized team.

“Each member will be paid out on a monthly basis based on the value brought to the table. Value such as coming up with business ideas, and fulfilling related work that comes with any business venture.”

The release calls the idea behind TripleOne “revolutionary” – but potential participants could be dissuaded by Mr Awad’s track record.

In a 2015 press release from Canada’s Financial Markets Authority, the body warned about the activities of Kevin Awad and KJRVS Inc., of which he is president and shareholder.

“Kevin Awad is not registered with the Authority,” the release said. “He cannot therefore solicit or act as a broker with Quebec consumers to invest. Kevin Awad reportedly approached people through his Facebook page claiming to offer a unique investment system.

“On his company’s webpage, investors could open an account that allowed them to submit securities proposals, determine the amount to invest in investment sessions, and more.

“Although it seems that the activities of the company KJRVS inc. have ceased and its website is no longer accessible, some information suggests that Kevin Awad could resume soliciting investors.”

Mr Awad, however, takes issue with the allegations.

“I lost only because I didn’t have money to pay lawyers,” he told The Independent. “Even the judge was surprised and asked me ‘where are your lawyers.’

“I am not guilty. I ended up having to pay a $2000 fine.”

In addition to his business and music dealings, however, the Canadian claimed on Twitter in November that his “book is coming out in 2025”. His personal website, james.com, and his LinkedIn page were both disabled for much of Friday, with Mr Awad citing high traffic volume.

His YouTube channel as Senior has fewer than 10,000 subscribers.

Serbia may suspend lithium deal with Rio Tinto - PM Brnabic


FILE PHOTO: Protest in Belgrade against Rio Tinto's plan to open lithium mine

Sat, January 8, 2022

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Serbia may soon decide to annul all contracts related to mining group Rio Tinto's $2.4 billion lithium project in the country, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Saturday, as green groups blocked roads across Serbia protesting against the plan.

Rio Tinto wants to develop the mine near Loznica in the western Jadar valley, but the local municipality has already scrapped a plan https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/rio-tinto-pause-lithium-mine-serbia-after-protests-report-2021-12-23 to allocate land for it.

The development is part of Serbia's efforts to bring in investment and boost economic growth. But environmentalists have staged protests and blocked roads to press authorities to end the project, which they say would cause irreparable damage to the area.

Rio has said any development would meet domestic and European Union environmental standards.

The protests have caused a political headache for the ruling coalition loyal to President Aleksandar Vucic ahead of April elections.

"We have neither brought them (Rio Tinto) in, nor have we made promises, nor have we done anything that the people did not know about," Brnabic told television channel Pink, saying the government was close to accepting all requests from environmentalists.

"We have worked in a transparent way, we have listened to the people," Brnabic said, adding the government needed to see how much it would have to pay out if the deal is annulled.

Brnabic also said the government wanted to win agreement for any decision from President Aleksandar Vucic, who she said was against the fulfilling of "requests by foreign services and agencies".

Vucic has repeatedly said that opening the mine would dependon the outcome of an environmental study and a referendum.

The protesters who blocked roads including in the capital Belgrade want the government to ban the extraction of lithium not only by Rio Tinto but any other company.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by David Holmes)

Serbia: Lithium mine opponents block roads in bad weather

Via AP news wire
Sat, January 8, 2022, 

Serbia Environmental Protest (Copyright 2022 

The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Hundreds of people in Serbia spent part of a holiday weekend blocking roads Saturday to protest plans for lithium mining in the Balkan country.

The protests came a day after Orthodox Christians in Serbia and many other countries celebrated Christmas. The demonstrations took place in the capital, Belgrade and several other locations.

Anti-mine activists have organized weekly gatherings to keep pressure on the populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic to scrap the possibility of lithium excavations in western Serbia.

Thousands have joined protests in the past and ecology groups have vowed not to stop until the mining proposals are rejected.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic told the pro-government Pink television on Saturday that her government was “close to annulling” any deals with multinational mining company Rio Tinto which has explored the area and wants to extract lithium.

“We listen to our people,” Brnabic said.

Experts have warned that mining for lithium, a material used for car and other batteries, would destroy the region’s farmland, ecosystem and water.

Serbia faces numerous environmental problems following decades of neglect. The country is swamped with garbage and has very poor air quality.

Improving environmental protection is one of the criteria Serbia needs to fulfill to advance on its path to joining the European Union.

Rio Tinto Is Building Its Lithium Business. The Move to Green Energy Will Boost the Stock.


JANUARY 7, 2022

A hefty dividend and a strong pivot toward clean-energy products should make United Kingdom-based diversified miner Rio Tinto a good bet for investors. Experts say that those with a heavy appetite for risk can expect total returns to reach 30% within 12 months.

In December, the company — which currently derives three-quarters of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA, from iron ore — announced that it would buy Argentina-based Rincon. Lithium Project for $825 million. The deal, which requires regulatory approval, would make Rio Tinto a major battery-grade lithium producer.

“What’s interesting is that they consistently went out and found this deal, and they will continue to look for similar opportunities,” said Sophie Lund-Yates, a senior equity analyst at UK-based broker Hargreaves Lansdowne. baron’s, “Not everyone has the firepower to make those changes.”

In other words, Rio Tinto (ticker: Rio) has the willingness and financial strength to close the Green Switch.

Sure, mining and caring for the environment seemed like an odd pairing a few years ago. but growing special mineral requirements Requirements for decarbonization have changed.

In particular, the need for materials needed for clean energy is now increasing, and this will help ignite the company’s already better-than-average mining image. Unlike some other miscellaneous miners, Rio Tinto does not produce any fossil fuels such as coal.

The Rincon project adds more green: Lithium is used to make electric-vehicle batteries. Industry experts say the demand for the metal is expected to nearly triple to 1.5 million metric tonnes by 2025. Last year, lithium carbonate prices more than quadrupled, up 413% to $32,600 per metric ton, according to S&P Global, due to increased demand. And a forecast deficit this year means prices could rise even higher.

The increased bet on meeting the Green Goals is only part of the story. According to Morningstar, RIO’s American Depository Receipts has recently outperformed its peers, producing an annualized return of 22.9% in the three years to January 3, up from the industry average of 20.2%. The company is valued at an average forward multiple of 9.3 versus 6.7 times forward earnings over the past five years.

Research organization CFRA has a target price of 58 pounds sterling ($78.50) on shares listed in the UK, or about 18% higher than its recent price of £49.36. “We like Rio for its best leverage profile among peers [with net cash since the middle of last year],” said a recent CFRA report. “An improved balance-sheet profile will provide support to the company in the face of macro uncertainty.”

The cherry on top is the 10% projected dividend for 2022. With potential stock price gains, investors can walk away with a 28% gain this year.

There are some significant risks with this investment. Iron-ore demand is heavily dependent on demand from Chinese steelmakers, who require the ore. The bursting of China’s real estate bubble could further plummet iron-ore demand and prices. According to TradingEconomics, iron-ore prices have fallen recently to $116, up from $225 per metric ton in May.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Tyler Broda says that if the price falls further, profits could drop dramatically, putting pressure on the company’s dividend.

Still, China’s economic troubles are widely acknowledged by investors, who suggest that concerns about a drop in iron-ore demand may already be reflected in Rio Tinto’s stock price, prompting the stock to bet. will be worth.

A SEA MYSTERY
Families of crew from sunken fishing vessel get nearly $1M

Fri, January 7, 2022
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A judge has awarded nearly $1 million in damages to the families of four fishermen who died when their boat mysteriously sank off Massachusetts in 2020.

The 82-foot (25-meter) Portland, Maine-based Emmy Rose went down early Nov. 23, 2020, as it was heading to port after a seven-day fishing trip, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Authorities had previously said it was heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts.

A total of $960,000 in insurance proceeds from the boat owner, Boat Aaron & Melissa Inc., was distributed among the families by U.S. District Judge John Woodcock in an order Wednesday, The Portland Press Herald reported.

The families agreed to accept the money in exchange for an order releasing the owner from further liability. The judge also exonerated the owner.

Woodcock wrote that each man died “an unspeakably tragic and terrible death.”

“Again, there is no evidence about how the vessel went down and it is possible that it sank suddenly and without warning, but it is more likely that there was some period of panic as the seamen worked in horrific conditions to avoid its and their awful demise,” Woodcock wrote.

The vessel made no distress calls. The Coast Guard searched more than 2,200 square miles over a 38-hour period, yet found nothing more than a debris field, diesel fuel odor, an emergency beacon and an empty life raft.

The crew — Capt. Robert Blethen Jr., of Georgetown, Maine; Jeffrey Matthews, of Portland, Maine; Ethan Ward, of Pownal, Maine; and Michael Porper, of Gloucester, Massachusetts — was never found.

The Emmy Rose was found in May, in an upright position with its outriggers deployed, in about 800 feet of water on the seafloor about 25 miles off Provincetown, Massachusetts, the NTSB said.

Federal authorities partnered with the National Science Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in September to survey the sunken vessel using a remotely operated vehicle. The vehicle yielded videos and high-resolution photos that are being used by investigators trying to determine why the vessel went down.

Ashley Gross, Porper's fiancee, said in a statement provided by her attorney that she felt the judge did a fair job of dividing the limited insurance between the four families.

“There is no amount of money that will bring my friends and fiance back,” she said Thursday. “The judgment doesn’t bring us closure but does bring some peace of mind that Michael was able to contribute to his daughters’ future.”

An email was left Friday for the attorney who represented the Emmy Rose’s owner.