Canada's largest fishing vessel will be ready for 2024, says Baffin Fisheries CEO


CBC
Sat, November 4, 2023 

The Inuksuk II fishing vessel was launched into the water at a shipyard in Turkey this week. The vessel is being built for Baffin Fisheries, which is based in Iqaluit, Nunavut, and has an operational office in St. John's. The company, which is 100 per cent Inuit-owned, harvests shrimp and turbot from Arctic waters for the benefit of Nunavut. 

(Submitted by Chris Flanagan/Baffin Fisheries - image credit)More

A ship being described as Canada's largest fishing vessel — one that will soon make regular ports of call in Newfoundland harbours like St. Anthony, Harbour Grace and Bay Roberts — was launched this week from a yard in Turkey, and the Nunavut-based owners say it's on track to be harvesting turbot and shrimp from Arctic waters by next year.

The vessel will also bear a name that's quite familiar to ship-spotters in Newfoundland and Labrador: Inuksuk II.

Baffin Fisheries currently operates a fleet of three fishing vessels, including the MV Inuksuk I.

"It's a great achievement for the Inuit owners of Baffin Fisheries in Nunavut," Baffin Fisheries CEO Chris Flanagan told CBC Radio's The Broadcast this week. Flanagan is based at the company's office in St. John's.

The vessel is 80 metres long, 18 metres wide, and will be capable of carrying up to 1,300 tonnes of frozen-at-sea turbot or 930 tonnes of shrimp.

In comparison, the Inuksuk II is six metres longer than the Calvert, the newest vessel in Ocean Choice International's fleet.

Deep connections to Newfoundland and Labrador

The Inuksuk II is owned by Baffin Fisheries, which is based in Nunavut and owned by a coalition of five Inuit hunters and trappers associations in the territory.

But the company also has strong connections to Newfoundland and Labrador because some industry leaders from this province, including people like Carey Bonnell, served on the original committee that helped established the turbot fishery in 2001. The current CEO is from St. John's, and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians often serve alongside Inuit from Nunavut on the company's vessels.

The company's vessels also land their catches in Newfoundland ports.

"A lot of Newfoundlanders were instrumental in setting up this fishery, but the Inuit owners of Baffin Fisheries are very proud and have done extremely well to be ready to get this vessel going. It's going to serve us well and serve Nunavut well for 25 to 30 years," said Flanagan.

The ship is known as a factory freezer trawler, was designed by a Norwegian company, and is being constructed at the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey.

It will be the company's first new vessel, said Baffin Fisheries board chairman Sandy Kautuq, who resides in Clyde River, Nunavut.

In a news release issued this week by the company, Kautuq said: "This beautiful new vessel will allow us to increase benefits to Nunavut communities and improve employment opportunities and working conditions for our fishermen."

A $72M price tag

The ship comes with a $72-million price tag, but Flanagan said the contract was signed before a sharp uptick in the cost of doing business.

"If you wanted to build that vessel today, it would certainly be over $100 million," said Flanagan.

Some important components, such as the main and auxiliary engines, and the shaft and propellers, have been installed.

Flanagan described the ship's power plant as "the world's most fuel efficient marine diesel engine," which he said will dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce fuel costs.

But Flanagan said the processing factory and the freezers are still under construction. He described this as "difficult, technical work."

The factory and freezer will feature automation that will reduce the need for heavy lifting by the crew, and include a first-of-its kind robotic arm.

The accommodations deck has not yet been constructed, and will include 36 bunks instead of 28 in order to accommodate more crew and improve training.

The vessel is scheduled to be delivered mid-year 2024, but Flanagan is not ruling out delays because of global supply constraints.

Flanagan said the Inuksuk name is being preserved because the existing vessel, Inuksuk I, has a strong reputation among the company's global clients.

Flanagan said the Inuksuk I will likely be sold, but he said there's also a possibility it could remain in service if Baffin Fisheries can acquire new quotas.

Last year, Baffin Fisheries harvested nearly 9,000 tonnes of turbot, also known as Greenland halibut, and nearly 5,000 tonnes of shrimp.

The company employed 78 Inuit employees last year, according to the company's annual report, which was an increase of six over 2021.

Kids judge Alexa smarter than Roomba, but say both deserve kindness

Four to 11-year-olds deem it wrong to attack either semi-intelligent robot

Peer-Reviewed Publication

DUKE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: KIDS AGREE THAT IT’S WRONG TO BE ATTACK SMART TECHNOLOGIES LIKE ROOMBA OR AN ALEXA, DESPITE RANKING AMAZON’S VIRTUAL ASSISTANT AS SAVVIER THAN ITS VACUUMING COUNTERPART. view more 

CREDIT: VERONIQUE KOCH, DUKE UNIVERSITY

DURHAM, N.C. –- Most kids know it’s wrong to yell or hit someone, even if they don’t always keep their hands to themselves. But what about if that someone’s name is Alexa?

A new study from Duke developmental psychologists asked kids just that, as well as how smart and sensitive they thought the smart speaker Alexa was compared to its floor-dwelling cousin Roomba, an autonomous vacuum.

Four- to eleven-year-olds judged Alexa to have more human-like thoughts and emotions than Roomba. But despite the perceived difference in intelligence, kids felt neither the Roomba nor the Alexa deserve to be yelled at or harmed. That feeling dwindled as kids advanced towards adolescence, however. The findings appear online April 10 in the journal Developmental Psychology.

The research was inspired in part by lead author Teresa Flanagan seeing how Hollywood depicts human-robot interactions in shows like HBO’s “Westworld.”

“In Westworld and the movie Ex Machina, we see how adults might interact with robots in these very cruel and horrible ways,” said Flanagan, a visiting scholar in the department of psychology & neuroscience at Duke. “But how would kids interact with them?”

To find out, Flanagan recruited 127 children aged four to eleven who were visiting a science museum with their families. The kids watched a 20-second clip of each technology, and then were asked a few questions about each device.

Working under the guidance of Tamar Kushnir, Ph.D., her graduate advisor and a Duke Institute for Brain Sciences faculty member, Flanagan analyzed the survey data and found some mostly reassuring results.

Overall, kids decided that both the Alexa and Roomba probably aren’t ticklish and wouldn’t feel pain if they got pinched, suggesting they can’t feel physical sensations like people do. However, they gave Alexa, but not the Roomba, high marks for mental and emotional capabilities, like being able to think or getting upset after someone is mean to it.

“Even without a body, young children think the Alexa has emotions and a mind,” Flanagan said. “And it’s not that they think every technology has emotions and minds -- they don’t think the Roomba does -- so it’s something special about the Alexa’s ability to communicate verbally.”

Regardless of the different perceived abilities of the two technologies, children across all ages agreed it was wrong to hit or yell at the machines.

“Kids don’t seem to think a Roomba has much mental abilities like thinking or feeling,” Flanagan said. “But kids still think we should treat it well. We shouldn't hit or yell at it even if it can't hear us yelling.”

The older kids got however, the more they reported it would be slightly more acceptable to attack technology.

“Four- and five-year-olds seem to think you don't have the freedom to make a moral violation, like attacking someone," Flanagan said. “But as they get older, they seem to think it's not great, but you do have the freedom to do it.”

The study’s findings offer insights into the evolving relationship between children and technology and raise important questions about the ethical treatment of AI and machines in general, and as parents. Should adults, for example, model good behavior for their kids by thanking Siri or its more sophisticated counterpart ChatGPT for their help?

For now, Flanagan and Kushnir are trying to understand why children think it is wrong to assault home technology.

In their study, one 10-year-old said it was not okay to yell at the technology because, “the microphone sensors might break if you yell too loudly,” whereas another 10-year-old said it was not okay because “the robot will actually feel really sad.”

“It’s interesting with these technologies because there's another aspect: it’s a piece of property,” Flanagan said. “Do kids think you shouldn't hit these things because it's morally wrong, or because it's somebody's property and it might break?”

This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (SL-1955280, BCS-1823658).

CITATION: “The Minds of Machines: Children’s Beliefs About the Experiences, Thoughts, and Morals of Familiar Interactive Technologies,” Teresa M. Flanagan, Gavin Wong, Tamar Kushnir. Developmental Psychology, April 10, 2023. DOI: 10.1037/dev0001524.

 

Alexa, You're my Friend

 

Kids agree that it’s wrong to be attack smart technologies like Roomba or an Alexa, despite ranking Amazon’s virtual assistant as savvier than its vacuuming counterpart.

CREDIT

Veronique Koch, Duke University

JOURNAL

Developmental Psychology

DOI

10.1037/dev0001524 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

The Minds of Machines: Children’s Beliefs About the Experiences, Thoughts, and Morals of Familiar Interactive Technologies

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

10-Apr-2023

IRELAND

Hairdresser receives over €100,000 in compensation over her treatment while pregnant

/ 24th January 2025 /Subeditor

A hairdresser who was effectively demoted to cleaning and making tea after she said she was pregnant has won £90,000 (€106,000) in compensation, writes Elizabeth Haigh.

Kayleigh Flanagan sued for discrimination after noticing an "immediate change of attitude" from her employer, Amy Jury, after her baby news.

The mother-to-be was removed from the online booking system and could only take 'walk-in' customers, meaning she had "nothing else to do but clean the salon and make tea".

After a "severe deterioration" in work relationships, Ms Flanagan resigned and sued Ms Jury for "unfavourable treatment" due to her pregnancy and constructive unfair dismissal.

She has been awarded £89,849 after some of her claims were upheld by an employment judge who said bosses "sought to find fault with her work" and "were no longer invested in her" as a result of her pregnancy.


The Cambridge hearing was told Ms Flanagan started working at Envy hairdressers in Thatcham, West Berkshire as a senior stylist in June 2019.

On December 5 of that year, the stylist told her boss via text message that she was pregnant.

Ms Jury - who insisted she was happy for her employee - was on annual leave at the time but on her return Ms Flanagan noted there were "changes to her role".

Employment Judge Louise Brown told the hearing: "Most duties she carried out were those of an apprentice."Judge Louise Brown told the hearing: "Most duties she carried out were those of an apprentice."

The following month Ms Jury began disciplinary proceedings against Ms Flanagan, alleging "under-performance", although no evidence was presented at the hearing.

This was followed by a final warning before Ms Flanagan resigned.

Photo: Kayleigh Flanagan. Facebook

 

Nuns contribute 30 years of critical insight into dementia disorders, UT Health San Antonio study reveals

Landmark ‘Nun Study’ initiative now housed at Biggs Institute

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

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SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 26, 2025 – Catholic nuns don’t make a habit of participating in long-term studies on aging and dementia, but one notable exception has yielded critical insights into cognitive resilience, neuropathology and aging-related disorders.

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) published a study analyzing more than 30 years of aging and dementia patterns of 678 nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame enrolled in the aptly named Nun Study, conceived by epidemiologist and neurology professor David A. Snowdon, PhD, in 1986.

It now is housed at UT Health San Antonio’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases, under the direction of Margaret Flanagan, MD, tenured associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.

Among takeaways from this latest analysis: Some individuals showed resilience to cognitive decline despite an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, indicating unknown protective mechanisms at work, and that early-life linguistic ability and grammatical complexity correlated with a lower risk of impairment in later life.

Also, advanced digital pathology techniques and artificial intelligence are reshaping the study of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. It all portends advancement for preventive intervention in cognitive decline.

“By leveraging this unique cohort of Catholic nuns with homogeneous lifestyles and rigorous longitudinal assessments, the study has clarified key factors influencing dementia risk and protection,” Flanagan said. “The work underscores the need for multilayered comprehensive approaches that account for multiple pathologies in dementia research and highlights the promise of AI-driven neuropathology.”

Flanagan is senior author of the study titled, “The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research,” published Feb. 26 by Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Other authors also are with the Biggs Institute and the departments of pathology or neurology at UT Health San Antonio. First author of the study is MD/PhD student Kyra Clarke.

One of the most significant

The new Nun Study analysis describes “one of the most significant longitudinal aging and dementia studies.”

Snowdon founded the initiative while at the University of Minnesota and then later took it with him to the University of Kentucky. With his retirement in 2008, the study returned to the University of Minnesota. The study briefly moved again to Northwestern University in 2021 when Flanagan was there, and then to UT Health San Antonio.

Cloistered and homogenous, the cohort of American nuns 75 years of age or older at the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a worldwide institute of Roman Catholic sisters, proved ideal for study, minimizing variables like smoking or differences in access to health care that may have confounded similar research.

While all 678 participants now have passed away, the study remains alive and vibrant at the Biggs Institute, with research currently being performed on donated brain autopsy material and the extensive data collected during the nuns’ lives, Flanagan said.

The participants consented to undergoing annual neuropsychological assessments, allowing researchers access to convent archives and medical records, plus the post-mortem brain donation. The new study investigated the associations between epidemiological factors, cognitive function and brain pathology.

Among the findings:

• Cognitive resilience and neuropathology: The study identifies factors contributing to cognitive resilience despite the presence of Alzheimer’s pathology. Some individuals exhibited high neuropathological burden but remained cognitively intact, indicating unknown protective mechanisms.
   
• APOE genotypes and dementia risk: The article discusses the role of APOE e4 and e2 in Alzheimer’s risk and cognitive preservation. The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene plays a role in the metabolism of fats in the brain. APOE e4 is a risk gene that increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. APOE e2 is a protective gene that may reduce the risk.
   
• Early-life predictors of cognitive health: The relationship between early-life linguistic ability and later-life cognitive function is a major finding. High idea density and grammatical complexity in young adulthood correlated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in later life.
   
• Comorbid neuropathologies and dementia risk: The study emphasizes that most cases of dementia involve mixed pathologies, including LATE, HS-A and vascular pathology, rather than pure Alzheimer’s disease. LATE refers to Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a type of dementia that affects people as they age. It is often caused by abnormal clumps of a protein called TDP-43 in the brain. HS-A, or hippocampal sclerosis of aging, is damage in the hippocampus that happens with age, affecting memory. LATE and HS-A are underrecognized but impactful. LATE is distinct from Alzheimer’s disease but frequently co-exists with it. HS-A is a major contributor to dementia in the oldest-old. The presence of these multiple brain pathologies suggest that multi-targeted therapeutic strategies may be necessary.
   
• Advancements in digital pathology: The study highlights how digital spatial profiling and machine learning are revolutionizing neuropathological assessments today. Digital pathology and AI are reshaping neuropathology research. Whole slide imaging, spatial transcriptomics and machine-learning models are providing novel insights into brain pathology and paving the way for precision diagnostics.

“The findings from the Nun Study have significantly advanced our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorder neuropathologies,” Flanagan said. “As all the studies comprehensively described in this review have indicated, there is still a need for ongoing investigation into the multifactorial nature of cognitive decline, particularly in aging populations.

“However, we also highlight promising opportunities for biomarker development and providing us with the opportunity to identify and delineate potential targets for preventive intervention in cognitive decline,” she said.

Separately, Flanagan, a native of Ireland who completed her medical training at Trinity College Dublin, recently was highlighted by the Women in Medicine in Ireland Network. Each Sunday, it chooses “another great female medic, past or present,” and acknowledges “their contribution to medicine in Ireland,” according to its website. The initiative posted an article highlighting her roles at UT Health San Antonio.

Last year, she received a $100,000 Rising STARs award from the University of Texas Board of Regents to advance research relating to Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

UT Health San Antonio is a world-class research university, ranking at the top 5% among institutions globally for clinical medicine according to U.S. News & World Report. It is No. 12 in the world among universities for the impact of its discoveries – in normalized citation impact, which compares the number of citations its research receives per paper to the average for similar published work, a recognized core measure of research impact.


The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research

Kyra M. Clarke, Shahroo Etemadmoghadam, Benjamin Danner, Cole Corbett, Ali Ghaseminejad-Bandpey, Matthew Dopler, Julie Parker-Garza, Mohammad Alhneif, Sahana Babu, Oluwaseun B. Ogunbona, Angelique D. Gonzalez, Arash Salardini, Margaret E. Flanagan

First published: Feb. 26, 2025, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association

Link to full study: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alz.14626

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), a primary driver of San Antonio’s $44.1 billion health care and biosciences sector, is the largest academic research institution in South Texas with an annual research portfolio of more than $436 million. Driving substantial economic impact with its six professional schools, a diverse workforce of more than 9,400, an annual expense budget of $1.67 billion and clinical practices that provide 2.5 million patient visits each year, UT Health San Antonio plans continued growth over the next five years and anticipates adding more than 1,500 higher-wage jobs to serve San Antonio, Bexar County and the South Texas region. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit UTHealthSA.org.

The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases is dedicated to providing comprehensive dementia care while advancing treatment through clinical trials and research. The Biggs Institute is a National Institute on Aging (NIA)-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC). In addition to patient care and research, the Biggs Institute partners with the School of Nursing at UT Health Science Center San Antonio to offer the Caring for the Caregiver program. 

Stay connected with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

 

---

Journal

Alzheimer s & Dementia

DOI

10.1002/alz.14626 

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The Nun Study: Insights from 30 years of aging and dementia research

Article Publication Date

26-Feb-2025

CHICAGO

Steppenwolf Theatre announces major layoffs: ‘We’re not too big to fail’
2023/08/31

The atrium lobby for Steppenwolf's theater-in-the-round, part of its campus on Halsted Street, on Oct. 25, 2021, in Chicago.

 - E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS

CHICAGO — Steppenwolf Theatre Company, one of Chicago’s most storied arts institutions and long a crucial part of the city’s identity, said Thursday that it was laying off 12% of its staff, effectively immediately.

Thirteen current employees have been let go, with seven open positions eliminated.

Steppenwolf executive director Brooke Flanagan said in an interview that the theater’s subscription base had fallen from about 10,000 subscribers in pre-pandemic 2019 to about 6,000 today. She also said that single-ticket sales were down 31%, even as expenses were up 19% over the same term. (Steppenwolf is currently negotiating with its front-of-house staff, which has formed a union and is not part of the layoffs.)

Those are sobering numbers at one of the city’s marquee cultural attractions.

Steppenwolf already has reduced its mainstage shows from eight productions to six in a season, as previously reported in the Tribune. Flanagan said those shorter seasons likely would continue for at least three years, or until the theater, which still has debt from the physical expansion of its Lincoln Park home, can find a more stable financial footing. The current plan reduces the theater’s overall annual budget from about $20 million to about $16 million.

Flanagan also said that the theater had chosen to focus on three core platforms: new work centering on its famous ensemble of artists, a commitment to teens and educators through its educational programs, and its ability to host other theaters, maintaining the broader theater ecology.

But there are to be cuts outside those areas. For example, the popular Front Bar on Halsted Street now will only open around performances, rather than most nights.

Although shocking for a theater that has expanded for so long, Steppenwolf’s cuts are not out of line with the nonprofit theater sector across the country, which has seen a staggering drop-off in audience demand and a rise in costs. The causes and solutions are both debated and contested, but Flanagan pointed to the upcoming 50th anniversary of Steppenwolf in 2026 as an opportunity for the city to reflect on the importance of a company that has taken Chicago shows and talent across the world.

In an interview Thursday, the City of Chicago’s cultural commissioner Erin Harkey (appointed during Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration) said that Mayor Brandon Johnson was aware of the crisis among nonprofit theaters and recently had convened a group that included tourism, business development officials and representatives from the city’s theaters. The goal, she said, was to assess the situation and develop a plan.

“This will have to be an all-hands-on-deck effort involving the city, the philanthropic community and the theaters,” Harkey said, also noting that the situation varied from institution to institution, with some being in better fiscal shape than others. She also said that the city’s Choose Chicago tourism arm plans a fall campaign designed to boost the city’s theater companies, the kind of effort that Flanagan said was essential for the sector’s recovery.

“We are not too big to fail,” Flanagan said. “Steppenwolf is an important part of the fabric of what makes this a great American city. This is a crucial time for philanthropists to give with seriousness and for audiences to rediscover the joy of live theater.”

© Chicago Tribune

Low-severity fires enhance long-term carbon retention of peatlands

by Duke University

A proscribed burn at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Curt Richardson, Duke University

High-intensity fires can destroy peat bogs and cause them to emit huge amounts of their stored carbon into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, but a new Duke University study finds low-severity fires spark the opposite outcome.

The smaller fires help protect the stored carbon and enhance the peatlands' long-term storage of it.

The flash heating of moist peat during less severe surface fires chemically alters the exterior of clumped soil particles and "essentially creates a crust that makes it difficult for microbes to reach the organic matter inside," said Neal Flanagan, visiting assistant professor at the Duke Wetland Center and Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

This reaction—which Flanagan calls "the crème brulee effect"—shields the fire-affected peat from decay. Over time, this protective barrier helps slow the rate at which a peatland's stored carbon is released back into the environment as climate-warming carbon dioxide and methane, even during periods of extreme drought.

By documenting this effect on peatland soils from Minnesota to Peru, "this study demonstrates the vital and nuanced, but still largely overlooked, role fire plays in preserving peat across a wide latitudinal gradient, from the hemi-boreal zone to the tropics," said Curtis J. Richardson, director of the Duke Wetland Center.

"This is the first time any study has been able to show that," Richardson said, "and it has important implications for the beneficial use of low-severity fire in managing peatlands, especially at a time of increasing wildfires and droughts."

The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings May 10 in the journal Global Change Biology.

Peatlands are wetlands that cover only 3% of Earth's land but store one-third of the planet's total soil carbon. Left undisturbed, they can lock away carbon in their organic soil for millennia due to natural antimicrobial compounds called phenolics and aromatics that earlier studies by the Duke team have shown can prevent even drier peat from decaying. If a smoldering, high-intensity fire or other major disturbance destroys this natural protection, however, they can quickly turn from carbon sinks to carbon sources.

To conduct the new study, Flanagan and his colleagues at the Duke Wetland Center monitored a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proscribed burn of a peatland pocosin, or shrub-covered wetland bog, at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in eastern North Carolina in 2015. Using field sensors, they measured the changing intensity of the fire over its duration and the effects it had on soil moisture, surface temperatures and plant cover. They also did chemical analyses of soil organic matter samples collected before and after the fire.

They then replicated the intensity and duration of the N.C. fire, which briefly reached temperatures of 850oF, in controlled laboratory tests on soil from peatlands in Minnesota, Florida and the Amazon basin of Peru, and analyzed the burn samples using using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

The analysis showed that the low-severity fires increased the degree of carbon condensation and aromatization in the soil samples, particularly those collected from the peatlands' surface. In other words, the researchers saw the "crème brulee effect" in samples from each of the latitudes.

Long-term laboratory incubations of the burnt samples showed lower cumulative CO2 emissions coming from the peat for more than 1-3 years after the tests.

"Initially, there was some loss of carbon, but long-term you easily offset that because there's also reduced respiration by the microbes that promote decay, so the peat is decomposing at a much slower rate," Flanagan said.

Globally, peatlands contain approximately 560 gigatons of stored carbon. That's the same amount that is stored in all forests and nearly as much as the 597 gigatons found in the atmosphere.

"Improving the way we manage and preserve peatlands is critical given their importance in Earth's carbon budget and the way climate change is altering natural fire regimes worldwide," Richardson said, "This study reminds us that fire is not just a destructive anomaly in peatlands, it can also be a beneficial part of their ecology that has a positive influence on their carbon accretion."

Flanagan and Richardson conducted the study with fellow Duke Wetland Center researchers Hongjun Wang and Scott Winton. Winton also holds appointments at ETH Zurich's Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.Natural mechanism could lower emissions from tropical peatlands

More information: Neal E. Flanagan et al, Low‐severity fire as a mechanism of organic matter protection in global peatlands: Thermal alteration slows decomposition, Global Change Biology (2020). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15102

Journal information: Global Change Biology 

Provided by Duke University 

EDMONTON 

Police crackdown on Gaza protest encampments on campus sparks outcry

The Canadian Press
Sat, May 11, 2024



Edmonton police dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Alberta's campus on Saturday, prompting outrage from students and academics who described the operation as violent and contested allegations that demonstrators were breaking the law.

Organizers said police fired tear gas and pepper-spray balls and wielded batons against students at the university's north campus quad shortly after arriving at 4:30 a.m., resulting in one hospitalization and several attendees placed in zip-tie handcuffs.

Videos posted to social media show a line of police members clashing with protesters in the dawn light, as young people shout "Free, free Palestine" before officers advance chanting "Move" and shoving and striking some students with billy clubs.


The footage aligns with descriptions from political science professor David Kahane, a member of the Edmonton chapter of Independent Jewish Voices Canada who was on-site with the demonstrators and called the experience "violent" and "gutting."

"I personally saw quite a heavily bleeding surface wound that came from a baton strike. I personally saw — this was after the police engagement was over — bruises from non-lethal projectiles that people were showing on their legs and arms," Kahane said in a phone interview.

"It was not peaceful."

The scene portrayed by participants stood in stark contrast to the picture painted by authorities.

Police said no tear gas was deployed, no one was hospitalized and use of force was limited.

"Our response was specifically directed at three individuals who were being aggressive with EPS members, one of whom assaulted an officer," said spokesman Scott Pattison in an email.

University president Bill Flanagan echoed police in saying "almost all of the occupants of the encampment peacefully dispersed."

In a statement Saturday, he cited fire hazards and the risk of escalation and violent clashes with counter-protesters among the reasons for the police action at the two-day-old camp.

"Of great concern, some members of the group brought in wood pallets, materials known to be used as barricade-making materials — actions that are counter to peaceful, law-abiding protests," he said.

"Overnight protests are often accompanied by serious violence and larger crowds amplify those inherent risks — especially as they attract counter-protesters or outside agitators."

Flanagan said "approved, peaceful protests are welcome" but must comply with university policies and public safety rules. "Every University of Alberta student, faculty and staff member has the right to feel secure and welcomed ... on our campuses."

About one quarter of the 50 protesters were University of Alberta students, he said.

Kahane countered that many others were alumni, organizers had already removed the handful of pallets from the site and concerns about disrupting lectures or encroaching on community members' rights were "inaccurate."

"I was one of a large group of Jews who led a Shabbat service for the whole camp yesterday evening. Students were reading, discussing being kind to one another," he said.

"It looked more like a picnic with some tents than it did like some kind of fortified encampment."

Organizers called for the resignation of the University of Alberta's president and an apology from the administration.

Following the lead of protesters on U.S. campuses, demonstrators in Canada have erected encampments at universities in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver as well as Calgary, where police forcibly removed participants from campus on Thursday night. The head of the University of Calgary said the dismantling operation devolved into a clash with officers because of counter-protesters.

That incident, along with Saturday's clearance in Edmonton, prompted a group of about 500 mostly Canadian academics to call for censure of the two Alberta institutions.

"In light of the undemocratic and harmful actions taken by the University of Calgary and University of Alberta, we, the undersigned, demand an immediate academic boycott of the institution," the group said in a statement Saturday.

The professors said the boycott should remain in place until administrators rescind "legal and administrative measures" against student protesters and respond to their demands.

Protesters in Edmonton called on the university to divest from Israeli institutions, give "amnesty" to encampment participants, condemn Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip as a "genocide" and demand that the federal government end any military contracts with the country.

The Indigenous Students' Union also decried the actions by administrators and police as "unacceptable."

The University of Alberta said no students were suspended and no community members banned in connection with the encampment, despite what some participants say they were told by an official who was on-site.

Meanwhile, McGill University has sought a court order to clear an encampment at the heart of its campus in Montreal, saying safety and security are at stake.

In a judicial application for an injunction filed Friday, the university framed its request around sanitary concerns and what it described as the "risk of violence and intimidation."

The filing cites "fierce verbal exchanges" between protesters and counter-protesters earlier this month, barrels of "human waste" on site, possible fire code breaches such as a single point of exit and the encampment's potential as a "magnet" for further clashes.

On top of a doubling of the security detail on the quad, McGill said it will likely have to spend more than $700,000 on an alternate venue for spring convocation ceremonies that are typically held on the grounds partially occupied by the protesters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2024.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

3 men arrested as Edmonton police cleared pro-Palestinian encampment at U of A campus

CBC
Sat, May 11, 2024 

More than 100 students, staff and supporters gathered at the University of Alberta on Thursday to start a pro-Palestinian encampment in support of Gaza. 

(Mrinali Anchan/CBC - image credit)

Edmonton police arrested three people while clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Alberta campus early Saturday morning.

Amid the months-long conflict in the Middle East, more than 100 students, staff and allies set up camp Thursday in support of Gaza and demanded that the university disclose its investments and cut any ties with Israel.

Communication with the demonstrators about what was allowed was unsuccessful and "escalating actions put the university community's safety at risk," according to university president Bill Flanagan. The university had to call on police to vacate its property.

"I know the last two days have been particularly challenging for many in the university's diverse community. The activity on our campus today was not taken lightly and there was no easy path forward for anyone involved," Flanagan said in a public statement issued Saturday.

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) arrived at the north campus quad early Saturday morning, after the university had warned protesters several times that they were violating university policy and trespassing, according to a statement police issued Saturday morning.

The final warning was issued shortly after 4:30 a.m. MT Saturday, police said. Officers arrived later, warned the remaining protesters to leave, then cleared those who remained off campus.

Most protesters left after a third trespass notice was issued, Flanagan said. When it was cleared, there were about 40 tents and 50 people — less than a quarter of whom were U of A students, he said.

Police arrested three men Saturday: a 23-year-old from Edmonton, a 30-year-old whose address is currently unknown and a 30-year-old Australian, an EPS spokesperson told CBC News. None of them were registered U of A students.

The men were charged and released on a promise to appear in court, the spokesperson said.

Videos taken by demonstrators at the scene showed some officers using batons and, at one point, a gas emanated as police moved the crowd.

The EPS spokesperson confirmed that some officers deployed "special munitions" to deal with the three men who were arrested, one of whom is charged with assaulting a peace officer. They denied that tear gas was used.

People gather on the legislative grounds for a pro-Palestinian protest in Edmonton. The previously scheduled protest on May 11, 2024, happened hours after police cleared an encampment at the University of Alberta that was in support of Gaza. (Emily Fitzpatrick/CBC)

No major injuries were reported to paramedics on scene by demonstrators or police, the spokesperson said.

Social media posts from protesters suggested they were off the university campus by approximately 7:30 a.m.

The People's University for Palestine, the group that organized the encampment, posted a statement about the situation Saturday afternoon.

It said four students were injured to "various degrees," including one who was sent to hospital after being found on the ground near campus.

Nour Salhi, a University of Alberta student, has acted as the encampment’s spokesperson. She described the scene Saturday morning as 'surreal.' (Maxime Lamache/Radio-Canada)

Nour Salhi, a U of A student who acted as the encampment's spokesperson, was on campus Saturday morning when police arrived. She described the ensuing sweep as "surreal."

"It's absolutely unacceptable what happened today and the entire city of Edmonton should be appalled," Salhi told reporters Saturday afternoon.

Campus encampments

The U of A encampment is one of several that popped up on university campuses across Canada, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary, the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa and McGill University in Montreal.

Calgary police cleared an encampment at the U of C this week. Police used force to remove demonstrators who hadn't left the site; five people were arrested.

In Montreal, McGill University is seeking a court injunction against an encampment on its downtown campus.

The encampments are a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic militant group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Health authorities in Gaza say the conflict has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians and injured more than 78,000 others since the conflict started on Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel. According to Israeli tallies, Hamas killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 253 hostage that day.

Flanagan's statement suggested U of A officials were watching what was happening elsewhere. He said that overnight demonstrations can escalate quickly.

The statement also suggested the demonstration was an unapproved event that contradicts university policy.

The university allows people to apply to book events on its property, regardless of whether the hosts are affiliated with the school. It has operating procedures for events that are not approved, however.

Its campus is considered private property, so any unapproved events are considered trespassing, the policy states.

The school was clear from the jump that demonstrations could not break the law or violate university policy, Flanagan said.

University officials "repeatedly informed" the group — verbally and in writing — about its procedures, he said, adding that they told the group they could protest on campus if they did not erect temporary structures, including tents and barricades, and did not stay overnight.

Some demonstrators also brought in wood pallets, Flanagan said, which could be used as "barricade-making materials — actions that are counter to peaceful, law-abiding protests."

The fire inspector examined the scene and declared the pallets a fire hazard, he added.

In its statement, the People's University for Palestine accused the university of being misleading about Saturday's sweep. The group also denied that the administration tried communicating with demonstrators, saying only campus police delivered notice.

David Kahane, a member of the Edmonton chapter of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, is a political science professor at the University of Alberta. He said he was speaking with campus security on behalf of the encampment. (Maxime Lamache/Radio-Canada)

David Kahane, a member of the Edmonton chapter of Independent Jewish Voices Canada, an anti-racism organization that advocates for justice and peace for Israel and the Palestinian territories, had spent time at the camp. He was also skeptical of Flanagan's statement.

Kahane, a U of A political science professor, told reporters Saturday that he was speaking with campus security on behalf of the encampment about any possible issues, including safety. Initially, the dialogue was amicable, he said, but that changed after the University of Calgary encampment was cleared.

"I am outraged and devastated," he said Saturday afternoon.

"Rather than the university saying, 'This is a legitimate protest, it is asking legitimate questions on which we will engage' … [it] instead called in the police."

Opposition NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir and advanced education critic Rhiannon Hoyle issued a joint statement to news media Saturday, decrying the response by Edmonton police as "completely disproportionate to student actions."

They condemned the campus protests in Edmonton and Calgary being treated as public safety issues, and are "deeply saddened" that the institutions "appear to abandon the rights of its students to free speech and to demonstrate.

Music industry girds for looming US TikTok ban


By AFP
January 16, 2025


For years TikTok has been an integral tool for most musicians, a jump-off point for artists looking to break out and an essential promotional platform for already-established musicians - Copyright AFP STR

Maggy DONALDSON

TikTok has dramatically changed music discovery and marketing — a reliance the looming US ban on the popular app has underscored as the music world braces for an unknown future.

That the short-form video-sharing app might shut down in the United States starting Sunday has fostered a sense of “marketing apocalypse” across the industry, says Tatiana Cirisano, a music industry analyst at MIDiA Research.

For years TikTok has been an integral tool for most musicians, a jump-off point for artists looking to break out and an essential promotional platform for established musicians.

In an increasingly fragmented musical landscape, Cirisano says “Tik Tok served as sort of the one lightning rod where popularity could actually coalesce into a hit, and there actually could be these more mainstream cultural moments.”

Now, digital marketing companies say artists are scrambling to download and archive their TikTok content before the app goes dark — the “worst-case scenario,” said Cassie Petrey, founder of the digital marketing company Crowd Surf.

“We’ve helped a lot of talent build great audiences” on TikTok, Petrey said. “It is unfortunate.”

– Life post-TikTok –

What platform could fill a potential void is a question front of industry minds; obvious near-parallels include YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Both features were created in TikTok’s image — but neither have enjoyed comparable prominence.

“It’s one thing to measure the user base or the weekly active users of those platforms,” said Cirisano, numbers she said are on par with TikTok.

But in terms of “cultural heft,” she said, “they haven’t really had the same impact.”

Jahan Karimaghayi, co-founder of marketing firm Benchmob, has urged clients to consider “changing their approach specifically to Instagram.”

“Instagram is a little bit more of an art gallery — it’s about showing content to your followers — where Tiktok it’s almost like you make content for people who don’t follow you,” he said.

Sarah Flanagan, an influencer marketing expert in the music industry, echoed that view, saying that on TikTok “discovery is coming from a viral sound point of view” versus image.

“That’s huge in terms of why Tiktok has worked so well for music,” she said.

It’s one advantage YouTube — which Karimaghayi pointed out many people already use “as a jukebox”– could have.

“If people migrate to Shorts, there’s a real opportunity for artists to connect even more music,” Flanagan said.

And Americans are already trying new alternatives, like China’s popular viral video app RedNote.

It’s surged to top Apple’s free app downloads, though experts say that could be a short-term trend.

– ‘Pressure to go viral’ –

As earth-shaking as a TikTok ban stateside could be for music, “I think there’s definitely artists who will breathe a sigh of relief for their mental state if Tiktok goes away, because of just the pressure to create content, the pressure to go viral,” Cirisano said.

In contrast to putting out a high-production music video, the explosion of short-form video has meant “suddenly artists were burdened with having to create their own format” rather than work with a full team, Flanagan said.

“Nobody was telling them what to do and how to look cool.”

But experts agree any respite could be brief: losing US TikTok won’t spell the end of content creation beyond the music.

“There’s very few artists these days that can put up music and do very little,” Karimaghayi said.

For Cirisano, fear of a TikTok ban is a stark reminder that “social is what is driving music and culture, and that trickles down to streaming — when it used to be the opposite.”

– Global impact –

Of course, TikTok will remain core to music marketing strategies outside US borders — most stars already have teams working on global promotion, and that won’t stop even if American or US-based artists can’t use their accounts domestically.

The change might even benefit already-huge markets in places like Latin America and Africa, which could grow increasingly dominant.

But it could also negatively impact those seeking to break through in the US, which remains the largest recorded music market in the world, where many career-makers are based.

“TikTok was sort of that crucial bridge between global regions,” Cirisano said.

For at least an interim period, taking away TikTok would give “power and sway back to the traditional power players in music,” Flanagan said.

But, “sometime change is good,” she added: “it was limiting in terms of how creative you could be when everybody always wanted to just push songs on Tiktok.”

And ultimately, the music industry is no stranger to evolving consumption habits or new media: “we’ve always kind of been at the forefront of technology,” Karimaghayi said.

“There will be a little bit of a bumpy road — but people are still going to use the internet.”

Chinese apps including TikTok hit by privacy complaints in Europe


By AFP
January 16, 2025


TikTok and several other prominent Chinese apps face complaints they don't respect EU data protection rules - Copyright AFP STR

Online privacy campaigners said Thursday they had filed complaints in several European countries against six Chinese companies including TikTok, accusing them of “unlawfully” sending Europeans’ personal data to China.

Prominent Austria-based privacy campaign group NOYB (None of Your Business) said it has lodged six complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi — in its first such action against Chinese companies.

The complaints were filed in Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands.

Noyb has launched several legal cases against US technology giants such as Meta and Google, often prompting action from regulatory authorities over violations of the EU’s landmark General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GDPR aims to make it easier for people to control how companies use their personal information.

“Given that China is an authoritarian surveillance state, it is crystal clear that China doesn’t offer the same level of data protection as the EU,” said NOYB data protection lawyer Kleanthi Sardeli.

“Transferring Europeans’ personal data is clearly unlawful –- and must be terminated immediately,” Sardeli said according to a statement.

According to the privacy group, AliExpress, SHEIN, TikTok and Xiaomi “transfer data to China”, while Temu and WeChat mention transfers to “third countries”.

“As none of the companies responded adequately to the complainants’ access requests, we have to assume that this includes China,” the statement added.

Noyb believes that “the rise of Chinese apps opens (up) a new front” for EU data protection law.

TikTok declined to comment when contacted by AFP.

Noyb said it is seeking administrative fines of up to four percent of the companies’ global sales, which could amount to 1.35 billion euros ($1.39 billion) for Temu.

The group began working in 2018 with the advent of the GDPR.