In Venezuela, a village on stilts slowly succumbs to mud

Issued on: 03/10/2021 

TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY

The stilt homes in the Venezuelan village of Congo Mirador are now effectively in a swamp with snakes, toads and parasites that are irrevocably changing the ecosystem Federico PARRA AFP


Congo Mirador (Venezuela) (AFP)

Congo Mirador was once an idyllic spot: a community of homes on stilts that seemed to float on the calm waters of a lagoon in western Venezuela. Now, the community is inundated with mud, a victim of silt generated by the Catatumbo river.

Most of its residents have left, and Congo Mirador is slowly fading away.

The river's source is in Colombia, and it flows into Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo, one of the biggest lakes in South America.

The Catatumbo's path has been diverted numerous times over the years, slowly sending muddy sediment, plant life, tree branches and other debris into the village -- to the point where it has been overwhelmed by the mess.

Where once there were fish, now there are weeds.

"There was a magnificent lake, and now it's become a jungle," laments Euclides Villasmil, one of the few residents of Congo Mirador who has remained there.

Only about 10 families, out of 200 who once lived there, are still in their homes. The village once was buoyant and loud; now, it's dead quiet.

No one knows exactly when the invasion of Congo Mirador actually began, but residents say sedimentation was already starting to ruin the pristine waters back in 2013, when tiny mud islands formed.

An aerial view of the village captured by a camera drone leaves the false impression that Congo Mirador exists in the middle of a lush green field -- in fact, it's a swamp and life is increasingly difficult.

An aerial view of Congo Mirador makes it seem like the village is in the middle of a green field, not in the water 

Federico PARRA AFP

Along with the mud, there are snakes, toads and other creatures, and parasites that have progressively changed the ecosystem to such an extent that the village is a ghost town.

- 'Little Venice' -

Only a few pillars remain of the medical clinic that once served the village's 700 residents. Some homes have been ransacked, stripped of anything of value: from the doors to the windows, even the faucets and pipes.

Only a handful of resident remain in Congo Mirador 

Federico PARRA AFP

Some people even dismantled their homes to rebuild them on a neighboring lagoon.

Janeth Diaz, 59, is among those who abandoned her home. She now lives in Puerto Concha, a three-hour journey by boat from Congo Mirador, which she reminisces about fondly.

"June 1, 2016 was one of the saddest days of my life," she said, referring to the date she left the village.

Diaz says Congo Mirador was her "little Venice" where "we were all one big family."

But when the mud came, she said, "I felt like it had a hold on me."

Her mother died only a few months after they left Congo Mirador.

Douglas Camarillo, 62, refuses to leave. Submerged in mud up to his chest, with sweat on his brow, he spent two weeks clearing a path of just 130 meters (yards) so that he and his neighbors could use their boats.

"I'm not going to let my village die. As long as I am alive, the village will not die," he pledged.

The church has remained intact, even if it's been several years since anyone celebrated Mass there.

A rusted chalice sits atop the altar adorned with plastic flowers that have survived the ravages of time, all under the watchful gaze of a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of seafaring communities.

A view of the altar of the church in Congo Mirador,

 which is still standing but is not used 

Federico PARRA AFP

The exodus from Congo Mirador has made life even harder, as the power plant that provided electricity to the village has not been operational for years, and the telephone antenna does not work.

Fuel, which used to be nearly free in this oil-producing nation, has been hard to acquire and expensive in recent years as Venezuela spiraled into political and economic uncertainty.

"My mother died in Maracaibo, two (of my eight brothers) and myself could not go to her burial because we didn't have any gas," said Erwin Gotera, 33, who was born in the area.

Gotera, a father himself, says half of what he makes from fishing is now used to pay for fuel.

"Here, gas is killing us," he said.

© 2021 AFP

Venezuelan couple goes all out for smiling but endangered sloths

Issued on: 03/10/2021 
TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY

A sloth rests in a shelter in San Antonio de los Altos, a suburb of Venezuela's capital 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

San Antonio de Los Altos (Venezuela) (AFP)

Haydee Rodriguez has just set free a sloth named Maruja 58 in a forested area outside Caracas and is watching her get settled.

"Look how pretty! It's dancing in the trees," said Rodriguez, who along with her husband Juan Carlos shares a passion for the lethargic mammals that spend a lot of time hanging upside down from treetops.

Maruja 58 is the 58th sloth the couple has rescued, cared for and freed through the Chuwie Foundation, the organization they founded that works to help these animals native to the rainforests of Central and South America.

Chuwie was the first sloth they rescued, and his face provides the logo of the foundation, located in San Antonio de los Altos, a suburb of Venezuela's capital.

"We also want to help with research. To know how many sloths there are, for instance, and how they live," said Juan Carlos Rodriguez.

There are no official figures for the sloth population in Venezuela, but deforestation in Latin America has reduced the size of the animals' habitat, says the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The Chuwie Foundation helps to rescue sloths that have been injured

 Yuri CORTEZ AFP

The International Union for Conservation of Nature says the pygmy three-toed sloth is in danger of extinction, and another species -- the maned three-toed sloth -- is considered "vulnerable."

Near Caracas, the sloths face three main threats: dogs that attack them, getting hit by cars and, above all, high voltage wires that run through forested areas. The sloths try to cling to them and are electrocuted.

That is what happened to Chuwie. He lost part of his left arm and suffered severe burns. The Rodriguez family, who had turned the injured animal over to a vet, adopted him.

To raise awareness of the story, Haydee, who works in the news media, and Juan Carlos, a graphic designer, created a social media account -- @Chuwieelgalan -- that now has almost 10,000 followers on Instagram.

They learned from environmental specialists in Costa Rica how to care for these animals, and in just a few months, the Rodriguez family started going out to help injured ones.

Chuwie was the first sloth that Haydee and Juan Carlos Rodriguez rescued 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

"Without even trying, we became sloth rescuers," said Haydee.

She and Juan Carlos have kept their day jobs, but the sloths now take up most of their time.

They currently have six sloths with them at home recovering so they can be released. One was severely bitten by dogs, a baby one was found without its mother and another suffered a shock from a high voltage cable. The couple wants to build a bigger facility to shelter more animals.

- 'Curse of the eternal smile' -

Juan Carlos goes out every day to find fresh leaves from specific trees to feed the sloths he is hosting, and says he needs 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of them.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez checks that a sloth they rescued outside a 

house in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela is in good condition 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

To pay for all of this, Haydee Rodriguez developed and now sells things with Chuwie's face on them, such as caps, coffee mugs, T-shirts and earrings.

"People are really moved by Chuwie. He is a survivor," says Juan Carlos, "but we will never be able to release him." The animal is severely disabled now.

On their website, the couple carefully avoids posting photos of them with Chuwie in their arms.

"They are not pets or stuffed animals," said Juan Carlos.

"Sloths have the curse of the eternal smile. Even when they are in agony, it looks like they are smiling," he said, adding that people who want to domesticate them are one of the dangers facing these creatures.

When a telephone rings out of the blue, they learn there is a sloth in jeopardy. Juan Carlos and Haydee jump into their car and race to a nearby neighborhood.

A sloth climbs a vine after being rescued and released in a suitable habitat in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela 

Yuri CORTEZ AFP

A sloth is hanging from high up in a palm tree after fleeing from a dog that bit it on the leg, explains the dog owner, Maria Antonia Mugica.

"It went up and up, and has been there since yesterday," said Mugica. "I called so it can be rescued."

Juan Carlos manages to bring the sloth down. The animal is fine, but they must move it away from the residential area.

A few kilometers away, the couple sees an area with no high voltage wires and with the kind of trees that sloths like. They free this newly assisted one. Her name is Maruja 58.

© 2021 AFP

CULT OF PERSONALITY
Decade after Jobs' death, has Apple traded magic for profit?

Issued on: 03/10/2021 -

TOMMOROWS NEWS TODAY 

Ten years after Apple founder Steve Jobs' death, the company is a profit machine but some say it has lost its creative magic

 Josh Edelson AFP

San Francisco (AFP)

Ten years after Apple founder Steve Jobs' death, the firm has grown into a colossus of devices and services that is the world's most valuable company, but the tech legend's diehard fans lament its lost aura of revolution.

"Apple doesn't innovate anymore" or "Steve Jobs is turning in his grave" are the type of disillusioned tweets that pop up especially during product launches led by Tim Cook, who took Apple's reins in August 2011.

On the surface, Jobs -- who died October 5, 2011 after a battle with pancreatic cancer -- left the company DNA imbued with his demanding intensity.

At every launch, Cook delivers the same hyperbolic turns of phrase that Jobs once did to unveil even incremental changes to the cameras or chips in its range of phones, tablets and other devices.

But are these game-changing innovations in the post-Jobs era?

"Apple lost the ability to bring out products that could revolutionize a market," said Tech industry analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group.

"They became a financially-focused company very effective at milking its faithful users," he added.

The company has impacted hundreds of millions of lives since its 1976 founding in a garage, with devices like the iPod launched in 2011 and the 2007 release of the iPhone that put the internet in people's pockets.

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveils the iPhone 2007 

TONY AVELAR AFP

Since then, Apple has released an internet-connected time piece, the Apple Watch.

"The measure of Apple is always innovation, that's what people focus on... another aspect of a company being successful is its ability to change themselves," noted analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Apple has indeed diversified by adding many services carefully integrated into its devices: music, payments, videos and games.

The company had to learn a world outside of the hardware business, a strategy Milanesi described as "more ropes that bring people to Apple... and keep them here."

It's a direction that would probably not have been rejected by Jobs, who always tried to control his customers' experience from start to finish, according to the biography written by Walter Isaacson.

In any case, the company under Cook has delighted Wall Street: the Apple brand was worth about $350 billion ten years ago -- and is worth $2.358 trillion today.

"In our opinion (Apple is) going to $3 trillion over the next six to nine months," predicted analyst Dan Ives.

Like many observers of the Californian behemoth, and unlike some fans of Jobs, he believes that Apple has never stopped inventing.

In particular, he cites the development of the M1 chip, which replaces Intel in some new devices.

"I think Apple evolved with time and so has Cook, and I think the one thing that Jobs was a huge believer in was innovation organically," said Ives.

The face of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is created with adhesive notes on the window of an Apple Store in Munich on October 18, 2011 

CHRISTOF STACHE AFP

He noted the iPhone will continue to be the "heart and lungs" of Apple's growth story for years to come, but he sees a virtual reality headset and even an Apple car by 2024.

It's hard for the nostalgic detractors alike to deny that Cook and his teams have navigated contrary currents in recent years.

The global chip shortage doesn't seem to have much affected the company's ability to meet demand.

It's political compromises to retain the Chinese market, contrary to its privacy commitments, has been contained to upsetting its critics.

Apple has also been relatively unscathed so far on the anti-trust front compared to fellow giants Google and Facebook, despite being forced to loosen control over its App Store.

But it is in the sights of European and US regulators who view the behemoth's dominance and global reach with extreme suspicion.

There are also thorny issues like the recent emergency software fix to protect against a breach by the potent Pegasus spyware, and Apple's sudden decision to delay an anti-child abuse measure that drew criticism from privacy advocates.

Some observers say Jobs' tempestuous manner would not have suited the management of such delicate matters.

Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 7 during a special event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California 

Handout Apple Inc./AFP

"The last ten years, I don't think Jobs' style would have survived," said Milanesi, referring to his famously volcanic persona.

"In my view, Cook is a better leader for where we are in the market environment and as a society," she added.

© 2021 AFP

Why California is shutting down its last nuclear plant

LONG READ

As blackouts and flex hours roil California, the state and the local utility responsible for its last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, are pushing ahead with plans to shut it down.

This despite the fact that nuclear energy is clean carbon-free energy, and that the plant was built to operate for decades more.

Underlying the puzzling decision is a complicated morass of local politics, utility economics, and fear.

© Provided by CNBC Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant which sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California on March 17, 2011.

Catherine Clifford 

California is not keeping up with the energy demands of its residents.

In August 2020, hundreds of thousands of California residents experienced rolling electricity blackouts during a heat wave that maxed out the state's energy grid.

The California Independent System Operator issues flex alerts asking consumers to cut back on electricity usage and move electricity usage to off-peak hours, typically after 9 p.m. There were 5 flex alerts issued in 2020 and there have been 8 in 2021, according to CAISO records.

On Friday, Sept. 10, the U.S. Department of Energy granted the state an emergency order to allow natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions so that California can meet its energy obligations. The order is in effect until Nov. 9.

At the same time, the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned by Pacific Gas and Electric and located near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, is in the middle of a decade-long decommissioning process that will take the state's last nuclear power plant offline. The regulatory licenses for reactor Unit 1 and Unit 2, which commenced operation in 1984 and 1985 will expire in November 2024 and August 2025, respectively.

Diablo Canyon is the state's only operating nuclear power plant; three others are in various stages of being decommissioned. The plant provides about 9% of California's power, according to the California Energy Commission, compared with 37% from natural gas, 33% from renewables, 13.5% from hydropower, and 3% from coal.

Nuclear power is clean energy, meaning that the generation of power does not emit any greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming and climate change. Constructing a new power plant does result in carbon emissions, but operating a plant that is already built does not.

California is a strong advocate of clean energy. In 2018, the state passed a law requiring the state to operate with 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2045.

The picture is confusing: California is closing its last operating nuclear power plant, which is a source of clean power, as it faces an energy emergency and a mandate to eliminate carbon emissions.

Why?

The explanations vary depending on which of the stakeholders you ask. But underlying the statewide diplomatic chess is a deeply held anti-nuclear agenda in the state.

"The politics against nuclear power in California are more powerful and organized than the politics in favor of a climate policy," David Victor, professor of innovation and public policy at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at UC San Diego, told CNBC.
Earthquake country

Diablo is located near several fault lines, cracks in the earth's crust that are potential locations for earthquakes.

Concerns about nuclear plants and earthquakes grew after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, causing a 45-foot-high tsunami. Cooling systems failed and the plant released radioactive material in the area.

In July 2013, the then on-site Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector for Diablo Canyon, Michael Peck, issued a report questioning whether the nuclear power plant should be shuttered while further investigation was done on fault lines near the plant. The confidential report was obtained and published by the Associated Press, and resulted in an extensive review process.

The Hosgri fault line, located about 3 miles away from Diablo Canyon, was discovered in the 1970s when construction was in early stages and the NRC was able to make changes to the research and construction plans. Peck's filing brought attention to another collection of nearby fault lines — the Shoreline, Los Osos and San Luis Bay.

All of these discussions of safety are set against a backdrop of shifting sentiment about nuclear energy in the United States.

"Since Three Mile Island and then Chernobyl there has been a political swing against nuclear—since the late 1970s," Victor told CNBC. "Analysts call this 'dread risk' — a risk that some people assign to a technology merely because it exists. When people have a 'dread' mental model of risk it doesn't really matter what kind of objective analysis shows safety level. People fear it."

© Provided by CNBC SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA -JUNE 30: Anti nuclear supporters at Diablo Canyon anti-nuclear protest, June 30, 1979 in San Luis Obispo, California. (Photo by Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)

For citizens who live nearby, the fear is tangible.

"I've basically grown up here. I've been here all my adult life," Heidi Harmon, the most recent mayor of San Luis Obispo, told CNBC.

"I have adult kids now, but especially after 9/11, my daughter, who was quite young then, was terrified of Diablo Canyon and became essentially obsessed and very anxious knowing that there was this potential security threat right here," Harmon told CNBC.

In San Luis Obispo County, a network of loud sirens called the Early Warning System Sirens is in place to warn nearby residents if something bad is happening at the nuclear power plant. Those sirens are tested regularly, and hearing them is unsettling.

"That is a very clear reminder that we are living in the midst of a potentially incredibly dangerous nuclear power plant in which we will bear the burden of that nuclear waste for the rest of our lives," Harmon says.

Also, Harmon doesn't trust PG&E, the owner of Diablo Canyon, which has a spotted history. In 2019, the utility reached a $13.5 billion settlement to resolve legal claims that its equipment had caused various fires around the state, and in August 2020 it pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a fire caused by a power line it had failed to repair.

"I know that PG&E does its level best to create safety at that plant," Harmon told CNBC. "But we also see across the state, the lack of responsibility, and that has led to people's deaths in other areas, especially with lines and fires," she said.

© Provided by CNBC Heidi Harmon, former mayor of San Luis Obispo

While living in the shadow of Diablo Canyon is scary, she is also well aware of the dangers of climate change.

"I've got an adult kid who was texting me in the middle of the night asking me if this is the apocalypse after the IPCC report came out, asking me if I have hope, asking me if it's going to be okay. And I cannot tell my kid that it's going to be okay, anymore," Harmon told CNBC.

But PG&E is adamant that the plant is not shutting down because of safety concerns.

The utility has a team of geoscience professionals, the Long Term Seismic Program, who partner with independent seismic experts to ensure the facility remains safe, Suzanne Hosn, a spokesperson for PG&E, told CNBC.

© Provided by CNBC The main entrance into the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power plant in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as seen on Tues. March 31, 2015.

"The seismic region around Diablo Canyon is one of the most studied and understood areas in the nation," Hosn said. "The NRC's oversight includes the ongoing assessment of Diablo Canyon's seismic design, and the potential strength of nearby faults. The NRC continues to find the plant remains seismically safe."

A former technical executive who helped operate the plant also vouched for its safety.

"The Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is an incredible, marvel of technology, and has provided clean, affordable and reliable power to Californians for almost four decades with the capability to do it for another four decades," Ed Halpin, who was the Chief Nuclear Officer of PG&E from 2012 until he retied in 2017, told CNBC.

"Diablo can run for 80 years," Halpin told CNBC. "Its life is being cut short by at least 20 years and with a second license extension 40 years, or four decades."
Local power-buying groups don't want nuclear

PG&E offered a very different reason for closing Diablo Canyon when it set the wheels in motion in 2016.

According to legal documents PG&E submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, the utility anticipated lower demand — not for energy in general, but for nuclear energy specifically.

One reason is a growing number of California residents buying power through local energy purchasing groups called community choice aggregators, the 2016 legal documents say. Many of those organizations simply refuse to buy nuclear.

There are 23 local CCAs in California serving more than 11 million customers. In 2010, less than 1% of California's population had access to a CCA, according to a UCLA analysis published in October. That's up to more than 30%, the report said.

The Redwood Coast Energy Authority, a CCA serving Humboldt County, strongly prefers renewable energy sources over nuclear, Executive Director Matthew Marshall told CNBC.

"Nuclear power is more expensive, it generates toxic waste that will persist and need to be stored for generations, and the facilities pose community and environmental risks associated with the potential for catastrophic accidents resulting from a natural disaster, equipment failure, human error, or terrorism," said Marshall, who's also the president of the trade association for all CCAs in California.

Consequently, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority has refused all power from Diablo Canyon.

There are financial factors at play, too. CCAs that have refused nuclear power stand to benefit financially when Diablo shuts down. That's because they are currently paying a Power Charge Indifference Adjustmentfee for energy resources that were in the PG&E portfolio for the region before it switched over to a CCA. Once Diablo is gone, that fee will be reduced.

Meanwhile, CCAs are aggressively investing in renewable energy construction. Another CCA in California, Central Coast Community Energy, which also decided not to buy nuclear power from Diablo Canyon, has instead invested in new forms of energy.

© Provided by CNBC PALM SPRINGS, CA - MARCH 27: Giant wind turbines are powered by strong winds in front of solar panels on March 27, 2013 in Palm Springs, California. According to reports, California continues to lead the nation in green technology and has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions per capita, even with a growing economy and population.

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

"As part of its energy portfolio in addition to solar and wind, CCCE is contracting for two baseload (available 24/7) geothermal projects and large scale battery storage which makes abundant daytime renewable energy dispatchable (available) during the peak evening hours," said the organization's CEO, Tom Habashi.

Technically, California's 2018 clean energy law requires 60% of that zero-carbon energy come from renewables like wind and solar, and leaves room open for the remaining 40% to come from a variety of clean sources. But functionally, "other policies in California basically exclude new nuclear," Victor told CNBC.

The utility can't afford to ignore the local political will.

"In a regulated utility, the most important relationship you have is with your regulator. And so it's the way the politics gets expressed," Victor told CNBC. "It's not like Facebook, where the company has protesters on the street, people are angry at it, but then it just continues doing what it was doing because it's got shareholders and it's making a ton of money. These are highly regulated firms. And so they're much more exposed to politics of the state than you would think of as a normal firm."
Cost uncertainty and momentum

Apart from declining demand for nuclear power, PG&E's 2016 report also noted California's state-wide focus on renewables, like wind and solar.

As the percentage of renewables continues to climb, PG&E reasoned, California will collect most of its energy when the sun shines, flooding the electricity grid with surges of power cyclically. At the times when the electricity grid is being turbocharged by solar power, the constant fixed supply of nuclear energy will actually become a financial handicap.

When California generates so much energy that it maxes out its grid capacity, prices of electricity become negative — utilities essentially have to pay other states to take that energy, but are willing to do so because it's often cheaper than bringing energy plants offline. Although the state is facing well-publicized energy shortages now, that wasn't the case in 2016.

PG&E also cited the cost to continue operating Diablo, including compliance with environmental laws in the state. For example, the plant was has a system called "once-through cooling," which uses water from the Pacific Ocean to cool down its reactors. That means it has to pump warmed ocean water back out to the coastal waters near Diablo, which alarms local environmental groups.

Finally, once the wheels are in motion to shut a nuclear plant down, it's expensive and complicated process to reverse.

Diablo was set on the path to be decommissioned in 2016 and will operate until 2025. Then, the fuel has to be removed from the site.

"For a plant that has been operational, deconstruction can't really begin until the fuel is removed from the reactor and the pools, which takes a couple years at least," Victor told CNBC. Only then can deconstruction begin.

Usually, it takes about a decade to bring a nuclear plant offline, Victor told CNBC, although that time is coming down.

"Dismantling a nuclear plant safely is almost as hard and as expensive as building one because the plant was designed to be indestructible," he said.
Politics favor renewables

All of these factors combine with a political climate that is almost entirely focused on renewables.

In addition to his academic roles, Victor chairs the volunteer panel that is helping to oversee and steward the closing of another nuclear power plant in California at San Onofre. There, an expensive repair would have been necessary to renew the plant's operating license, he said

.

© Provided by CNBC Kern County, CA - March 23: LADWPs Pine Tree Wind Farm and Solar Power Plant in the Tehachapi Mountains Tehachapi Mountains on Tuesday, March 23, 2021 in Kern County, CA.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

"The situation of Diablo is in some sense more tragic, because in Diablo you have a plant that's operating well," Victor said. "A lot of increasingly politically powerful groups in California believe that [addressing climate change] can be done mainly or exclusively with renewable power. And there's no real place for nuclear in that kind of world."

The pro-nuclear constituents are still trying. For example, Californians for Green Nuclear Power is an advocacy organization working to promote Diablo Canyon to stay open, as is Mothers for Nuclear.

"It's frustrating. It's something that I've spent well in excess of 10,000 hours on this project pro bono," said Gene Nelson, the legal assistant for the independent nonprofit Californians for Green Nuclear Power.

"But it's so important to our future as a species — that's why I'm making this investment. And we have other people that are making comparable investments of time, some at the legal level, and some in working on other policies," Nelson said.

Even if California can eventually build enough renewables to meet the energy demands of the state, there are still unknowns, Victor said.

"The problem in the grid is not just the total volume of electricity that matters. It's exactly when the power is available, and whether the power can be turned on and off exactly as needed to keep the grid stabilized," he told CNBC. "And there, we don't know."

"It might be expensive. It might be difficult. It might be that we miss our targets," Victor told CNBC. "Nobody really knows."

For now, as California works to ramp up its renewable energy resources, it will depend on its ability to import power, said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford. Historically, the state has imported hydropower from the Pacific Northwest and Canada, and other sources of power from across the West.

"California will be increasing renewable energy every year from now on," Jacobson told CNBC. "Given California's ability to import from out of state, there should not be shortfalls during the buildout."

Uma Thurman opens up about her teenage abortion to support women through the Texas ban

'Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be.'

Corrina Allen
Published September 22, 2021

Uma Thurman is opening up about a deeply personal experience in the hope that it will draw attention and support for women in Texas. People who can get pregnant have effectively been denied access to abortion care thanks to a new law that bans abortion-inducing drugs after seven weeks of pregnancy and medical abortions as early as six weeks after fertilization.

"I started my acting career at 15, working in an environment where I was often the only kid in the room," wrote Thurman in an op-ed for the Washington Post (via People). "In my late teens, I was accidentally impregnated by a much older man. I was living out of a suitcase in Europe, far from my family, and about to start a job. I struggled to figure out what to do."

With the support of her parents, Thurman decided to terminate the pregnancy. "My heart was broken nonetheless," she wrote. The actor describes the experience as being a physically and emotionally painful one. "It hurt terribly, but I didn't complain. I had internalized so much shame that I felt I deserved the pain," she admitted.

Thurman, who has three children (two with Ethan Hawke and one with French financier Arpad Busson) said that her choice, however, allowed her to become the mother that she is today.

"The abortion I had as a teenager was the hardest decision of my life, one that caused me anguish then and that saddens me even now, but it was the path to the life full of joy and love that I have experienced," she wrote. "Choosing not to keep that early pregnancy allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be."

In addition to denying access to care, the Texas law also sets up a framework allowing ordinary citizens to pursue legal action against anyone seen assisting a woman who is seeking an abortion — this could range from medical doctors to taxi drivers. Uber and Lyft have already pledged to pay legal fees for any of their drivers who come up against this new legislation. One San Antonio doctor has already come forward in the media to say he has performed an illegal abortion, writing that he “acted because I had a duty of care to this patient, as I do for all patients, and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care.”

Thurman ended her piece with a message to the women of Texas and the US in general who, she says, have been unconstitutionally denied their rights.

“The Texas abortion law was allowed to take effect without argument by the Supreme Court, which, due in no small part to its lack of ideological diversity, is a staging ground for a human rights crisis for American women," she explained. "To all of you — to women and girls of Texas, afraid of being traumatized and hounded by predatory bounty hunters; to all women outraged by having our bodies' rights taken by the state; and to all of you who are made vulnerable and subjected to shame because you have a uterus — I say: I see you. Have courage. You are beautiful. You remind me of my daughters."

CRIMINAL CRYPTO CAPITALI$M

CFTC fines crypto exchange Kraken $1.25 million for offering some products illegally

cshumba@insider.com (Camomile Shumba)

© Primakov Kraken Primakov

The CFTC ordered Kraken to pay $1.25 million for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

CFTC said Kraken offered this service to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Tuesday ordered crypto exchange Kraken to pay $1.25 million in fines for offering some products illegally.

The commodities and foreign exchange regulator said Kraken had been fined for facilitating margined retail commodity transactions in digital assets including bitcoin to customers who were not eligible between June 2020 to July 2021.

The order also said the company failed to register as a futures commission merchant (FCM).

Kraken is one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Exchanges have been penalized in the past for offering products that did not comply with existing regulations, for example.

"We appreciate that today's settlement acknowledges our cooperation and engagement on the issue. We are committed to working with regulators to try to ensure the rules governing digital assets create a level playing field globally -- one that allows the crypto space in the U.S. to flourish, while protecting the interests of individuals and the integrity of the industry," Kraken said in an emailed statement to Insider.

"As a firm committed to reasonable regulation, we engaged with the CFTC about its proposed margin trading guidance and sought clarity about what the guidance would permit. In June of this year, we started limiting our margin products in the US to eligible clients prior to entering into this settlement with the CFTC," the company said.

"This action is part of the CFTC's broader effort to protect US customers," Vincent McGonagle, acting director of enforcement, said in the CFTC order.

"Margined, leveraged or financed digital asset trading offered to retail US customers must occur on properly registered and regulated exchanges in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations," McGonagle said.

The CFTC regulates the US derivatives market, with commodities, foreign exchange, fixed income and some crypto assets also falling under its remit.

The regulator cited a case in which a customer purchased a digital asset using borrowed funds from the exchange, which then supplied the digital asset or currency to the seller, known as margin trading.

The CFTC said Kraken asked its customers to exit their positions and return the funds they received on margin within 28 days or face being unable to transfer them. In the absence of repayment, Kraken would request that position be liquidated, or liquidate forcibly, if the value of the collateral dipped below a certain threshold, which is common practice across exchanges.

"As a result, actual delivery of the purchased assets failed to occur. These transactions were unlawful because they were required to take place on a designated contract market and did not," the order said.

Nigerian artist says British Museum accepts his gift, keeps looted bronzes

Estelle Shirbon
Thu, September 30, 2021

LONDON (Reuters) -An artist from Benin City in Nigeria said the British Museum had accepted his gift of a bronze plaque in what he felt was a possible first step towards the museum's return of the priceless Benin Bronzes that were looted by British troops in 1897.

However, the museum told him however an exchange of new for looted artworks was impossible, he said.

Osarobo Zeickner-Okoro, a founding member of Ahiamwen, a new guild of Benin City bronze casters and artists, had offered his creation to encourage the museum to give back the sculptures but also to demand acknowledgment of the city's modern-day culture.

After meeting with two curators from the museum's Africa department, he told Reuters on Thursday they had accepted his gift and expressed an interest in acquiring several works by other Ahiamwen artists.

The museum said it was grateful for the meeting with Zeickner-Okoro but: "At this stage, there have been no formal discussions about acquiring these objects for the collection."

Zeickner-Okoro said he was delighted that his gift, a 2-metre-by-2-metre plaque with carvings depicting historical events in Benin City, had been accepted even though the museum ruled out an exchange.

"It's disappointing but this is the first step," he said.

Created from brass and bronze in the once mighty Kingdom of Benin from at least the 16th century onwards, the Benin Bronzes are among Africa's most culturally significant artefacts. European museums that house them have faced years of criticism because of their status as loot and symbols of colonial greed.

"Part of the crime that's been committed is that Benin has been portrayed as this dead civilisation," said Zeickner-Okoro. "The reparation is not just returning the Bronzes. It's also acknowledging us, that we're a living civilisation."

He said the acceptance of his plaque and proposed acquisition of other works, including a life-size ram made from spark plugs by Kelly Omodamwen and some Benin women's heads by Andrew Edjobeguo, went a long way towards righting that wrong.

"It's historic, it's really significant. I think it's definitely going to open the door for the return of the loot," he said.

Germany has said it wants to return Benin Bronzes from its museums to Nigeria. The British Museum, which holds the largest and most significant collection of the items, has made no clear commitment despite demands from the Oba, or king, of Benin.

Asked about its talks with Zeickner-Okoro, the museum said it was discussing new plans for the display of African collections with a wide network of colleagues and "considering a number of different elements around any future displays".

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Angus MacSwan)

FILE PHOTO: The work depicting Oba Ewuare Ogidigan, ruler of Benin Kingdom 1440-1473 is seen on display during the unveiling of Lucas Osarobo- Okoro's largest bronze work in BeninMore

Protesters in Brazil demand Bolsonaro's impeachment

Issued on: 02/10/2021 

Hundreds of demonstrators take part in a protest against Brazilian President 

Jair Bolsonaro, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 2, 2021 

NELSON ALMEIDA AFP

Rio de Janeiro (AFP)

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets around the country Saturday, once again calling for the ouster of unpopular President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues.

Large crowds gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and dozens of other towns and cities as part of the "Bolsonaro Out National Campaign," which is backed by a dozen left-wing political parties and labor groups.

Among other issues, the right-wing president has come under stinging criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 600,000 lives here.

Hundreds of people marched through the central Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Candelaria, shouting "Bolsonaro out!" which was also emblazoned on several large banners.

"We're going to get him out. The hope of the people here in the streets is to put pressure on legislators so that they call for impeachment," 69-year-old retired professor Elizabeth Simoes told AFP.

More than 100 requests for the impeachment of Bolsonaro have been filed with the Chamber of Deputies, but its leader Arthur Lira, a government ally, has refused to take any of them up.

The Supreme Court has ordered several investigations into Bolsonaro and his aides, including for spreading false information.

Large crowds gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo (pictured), Brasilia and more than 160 other towns and cities as part of the "Bolsonaro Out National Campaign," which is backed by a dozen left-wing political parties and labor groups 

NELSON ALMEIDA AFP

In Sao Paulo, tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the central Paulista Avenue. Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasilia.

Local media counted protests in 20 of Brazil's 27 states, and in 60 cities, including 14 state capitals.

Red flags of the Workers' Party of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or Lula, could be seen Saturday, along with Brazilian flags and the signs of several other left-wing and centrist parties often seen at protests against the far-right Bolsonaro.

- 'Can't stand this government' -

In recent months, protests led by leftist movements have demanded Bolsonaro's impeachment due to his mismanagement of the pandemic. But Saturday's demonstrations were also against a hike in food and fuel prices, as well as for relief for the 14.1 million unemployed people throughout the country.

"The population is going hungry, and we can't stand this government any longer," said Isadora Lessa, 22, in Rio.

"What is the importance of being here? That he knows he doesn't have unanimity, that he's going to have a hard time getting elected again," said Marcelo Werneck, who joined the protests in Rio in memory of the "friends and family" who died of Covid-19.

A demonstrator passes by a banner reading "Genocide out" during a protest against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 2, 2021 

NELSON ALMEIDA AFP

"If he doesn't face an impeachment, he loses the election in 2022," Werneck added.

Besieged by judicial investigations and the economic crisis, Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted in recent months to 22 percent, its lowest level since he took office in January 2019.

But backers of the president have also made themselves known in recent weeks, as around 125,000 of them gathered in Brasilia and Sao Paulo September 7 in a show of support for Bolsonaro.

A mid-September opinion poll by the Datafolha Institute found that Bolsonaro has 26 percent support compared with Lula's 44 percent, just one year ahead of the presidential vote.

© 2021 AFP

In photos: Thousands of Brazilian protesters demand Bolsonaro's impeachment

Rebecca Falconer
Sat, October 2, 2021

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in cities across Brazil Saturday, calling for President Jair Bolsonaro's impeachment over his government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, per Reuters.

Why it matters: Brazil's Senate is holding hearings that could lead to Bolsonaro's impeachment as the country's Supreme Court probes his government’s handling of vaccine contracts. Bolsonaro has threatened to reject the results of Brazil's October 2022 presidential election amid poor approval ratings.



Demonstrators hold flags and chant slogans as part of protests against Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro. Many of those protesting across the country have ties to the party of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da, a favorite to win the 2022 elections, AP notes. Silva Photo by Getty Images

Demonstrators take part in a protest against Bolsonaro's government in Brasília Oct. 2. Protesters have also been marching to highlight inflation and high fuel prices, according to Reuters. Photo: Mateus Bonomi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images


An image of Bolsonaro is burnt during a São Paulo protest Oct. 2. Bolsonaro has repeatedly played down the pandemic and been fined for flouting a state government mask mandate. Photo: Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images


Protesters with crosses at an anti-Bolsonaro demonstration in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 2. About 597,000 have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, AP reports. Photo: Getty Images

Brazilians demonstrate against Bolsonaro

Sat, October 2, 2021

SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazilian demonstrators gathered in several state capitals on Saturday to protest against the federal government and call for the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro.

Presidential hopeful Ciro Gomes took part in the protest in Rio de Janeiro and was also expected at the demonstration in São Paulo, according to local media.

Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom polls show ahead of Bolsonaro in a simulated 2022 matchup, did not attend the protests.

In addition to criticizing right-wing Bolsonaro and his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrators also protested inflation and high fuel prices.

In Rio de Janeiro, the protest brought together hundreds of people, with the support of trade unions and left-wing parties. One group brought a huge inflatable gas canister bearing the inscription: "Is it expensive? It's Bolsonaro's fault."

Saturday's demonstrations were a response to a rally of Bolsonaro supporters on Sept. 7. Protesters also gathered in the central region's capital of São Paulo and in northern state capitals such as Recife and Belém.

The protests against the president brought together center-left parties, trade unions and social movements, marking an attempt by the opposition to show unity.

According to the organizers, the demonstrations took place in more than 200 cities across the country.

(Reporting by Aluísio Alves in São Paulo, Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro and Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasília; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Brazilians demonstrate against BolsonaroDemonstrators protest against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's administration in Sao Paulo

Thousands in Brazil protest Bolsonaro, seek his impeachment

October 2, 2021, 3:34 PM·2 min read

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Brazil’s presidential election one year away, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and dozens of other cities around the country to protest President Jair Bolsonaro and call for his impeachment over his government’s handling of the pandemic.

The protests, smaller than those in support of Bolsonaro last Sept. 7, were promoted by leftist parties and some union movements linked to the former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Worker´s Party. Da Silva is widely expected to run against Bolsonaro in Brazil's Oct. 2, 2022 presidential election.

Saturday’s protest targeted the president for his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bolsonaro, who is not vaccinated and doesn’t usually wear a mask, has underestimated the severity of the virus and promoted crowds during the pandemic. Some 597,000 have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, a country of 212 million people. Demonstrators also protested surging inflation in mainstays like food and electricity.

“It is very painful to see that health and education are being destroyed, and there are many starving people in the country,” Marilena Magnano, a 75-year-old retiree, told The Associated Press. “We need Bolsonaro out of the government, his time has passed”.

The president’s approval ratings have steadily declined throughout the year, but he remains far more popular than prior presidents who were impeached - most recently Dilma Rousseff of the Workers Party in 2016.

Over 130 impeachment requests have been filed since the start of Bolsonaro’s administration, but the lower house’s speaker, Arthur Lira, and his predecessor have declined to open proceedings. Division among the opposition is the key reason analysts consider it unlikely there will be enough pressure on Lira to open impeachment process.

APTOPIX Virus Outbreak Brazil ProtestDemonstrators rally alongside a large inflatable doll depicting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as the Grim Reaper, during a protest against him, calling for his impeachment over his government handling of the pandemic and accusations of corruption in the purchases of COVID-19 vaccines in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. 

AP Photo/Andre Penner

Has the Walton family gained an outsized influence over a crucial environmental crisis?

Tim O'Donnell, Contributing Writer
Sat, October 2, 2021

Colorado River. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

The Walton family, billionaire heirs to the Walmart Inc. fortune, have been very involved in efforts to solve the water shortage crisis on the Colorado River, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. Over the past decade, they've given around $200 million to various advocacy groups, universities, and media outlets devoted to helping the river bounce back, putting them far ahead of any other donor to the cause, per the Journal.

While that sounds like a good thing — and there clearly are benefits — there are some skeptics who feel that the Walton's preference for water markets as a solution isn't the right approach because it could lead to a rush of outside speculators investing in water, potentially to the disadvantage of farmers and the poor. And considering the money they've invested, as well as the fact that two officials in the Biden administration were once affiliated with the Waltons' foundation, there are concerns that the family has secured an outsized influence on policy discussions surrounding the Colorado River Basin, the Journal writes.

University of Oxford water-resource researcher Dustin Garrick told the Journal that the foundation's giving has "sharpened the divide between those at the table and those left behind." For example, Gary Wockner, founder of the environmental group Save the Colorado, said his funds were cut off after he pushed back against some policy ideas from other Walton family recipients. "I was told 'you're out of alignment,'" he told the Journal. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

NASA Still Plans to Name $10B Telescope After Possible Homophobe

Alex Cooper

THE ADVOCATE
Fri, October 1, 2021

Piece of the Webb Telescope

NASA announced that it was not planning to rename the James Webb Space Telescope — a project that cost $10 billion and was named after the former NASA administrator. Concerns have been voiced about the naming due to Webb’s involvement in government discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers around the 1950s-1960s during the Lavender Scare.

"We have found no evidence at this time that warrants changing the name of the James Webb Space Telescope," NASA administrator Bill Nelson told NPR.

NASA’s newest telescope, which should launch in December, is understood to be an updated Hubble. It’ll help scientists see light from the earliest galaxies as well as pick up atmospheric readings of planets orbiting stars in other solar systems.

While there’s excitement over what discoveries the telescope will help scientists reveal, some have still been troubled at the chosen name for the project.

A petition organized several months ago saw more than 1,200 astronomers and those interested in the subject sign their names against naming the telescope after Webb.

“Leaders are responsible not only for the actions of those they lead, but the climate they create within their spheres of influence. As we have noted previously, Webb’s legacy of leadership is complicated at best, and at worst, complicit with persecution,” the petition stated.

Part of the petition accuses Webb of involvement in the interrogation of NASA employee Clifford Norton, who lost his job in 1963 while Webb led the agency. Washington, D.C. police arrested Norton after he was seen speaking with a man. NASA's security chief at the time became involved in the interrogation and then interrogated Norton again at the agency.

“The historical record is already clear: under Webb’s leadership, queer people were persecuted,” the petition said.

“At best, Webb's record is complicated,” Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a theoretical cosmologist at the University of New Hampshire who has called on the telescope to be renamed, told NPR. “And at worst, we're basically just sending this incredible instrument into the sky with the name of a homophobe on it, in my opinion.”

In response to the concerns voiced about naming the telescope after Webb, NASA launched an investigation. However, the agency has been tight-lipped on how it conducted it.

“We've done as much as we can do at this point and have exhausted our research efforts,” senior science communications officer Karen Fox wrote NPR in an email. “Those efforts have not uncovered evidence warranting a name change.”

The secrecy around the investigation is a problem to Prescod-Weinstein. “I have to tell you that I'm concerned that they have chosen not to be public about this,” she said.



“I'm basically a NASA fan girl,” Prescod-Weinstein, who has collaborated with NASA previously, explained. “And so this is particularly hard for me, to feel like I'm being gaslit by the agency that I have spent my career looking up to, and that I have committed parts of my career to.”

While the administrator who decided on the name and others have said that the lack of evidence means renaming the telescope would be an injustice or that Webb was a product of his time, Prescod-Weinstein said that it’s affected her as a Black, queer person.

The naming reminds her, she told the outlet, of “the fight that I have had to have to be OK with myself as a queer person. And I don't think that that should be associated with the incredible thing that is the cosmos.”