SOIL&PLANTS -EMISSIONS- SURPRISES : CLIMATE RESEARCH

 

Forests, soil ''may not keep pace'' with CO2 emissions, according to the latest research.

PARIS : The world is counting too heavily on soil and plants to soak up the planet - ravaging carbon pollution, researchers cautioned Wednesday.

Climate projections mistakenly assume that land and what grows on it are able to absorb the CO2 humanity loads into the atmosphere, they reported in the journal nature.

In reality there's a tradeoff.

''Either soil or plants, but not both, will absorb more CO2 as carbon levels rise,'' lead author Cesar Terrer, a researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, told AFP.

It is tempting, he said, to hang hopes on supercharged plant growth and massive tree planting campaigns to reduce CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels, agriculture and destroying forests.

But researchers said that when elevated carbon dioxide levels boost forest and grassland growth, the accumulation of CO2 in soil slows down.

''Soils store more carbon worldwide than is contained in all plant biomass,'' said senior author Rob Jackson, a professor at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences.

So far, Earth's terrestrial ecosystems have kept pace with rapidly increasing CO2 emissions, consistently absorbing some 30 percent even as those emissions have more than doubled over the last 50 years.

Oceans have also syphoned off a steady 20 odd percent of CO2 pollution during the same period. [AFP]

FOOD -PLASTIC- WRAP : ANTI-VIRUS STUDY

Plastic food wrap can inactivate virus. PVC film eradicates 99.9% of Covid-19 particles in 15 minutes.

Researchers. scientists and doctors have been closely studying the Covid-19 infection ever since its outbreak in March last year.

A recent study conducted at the University of Sao Paulo's Biomedical Sciences Institute, has found that transparent stretchable plastic [PVC] film used in the packing of meat, fruit, other foods, and to protect surfaces, can inactivate coronavirus, reported National Herald India.

Marketed by Brazilian plastics manufacturer Alpes, the material comprises silver and silica nanoparticles, a technology developed and licensed by Nanox. In tests conducted at the university, the PVC film proved capable of eradicating 79.9% of the particles of SARS-CoV-2 in three minutes and 99.9% of the particles in approximately 15 minutes.

''Elimination of the virus by the material was extremely effective and fast,'' said study author Lucio Freitas Junior from ICB-USP, adding. ''It's a very different application from the more than 40 products that attack the novel coronavirus tested by us since the start of the pandemic.''

The film was tested against ISO 21702 : 2019, the technical standard governing the measurement of antiviral activity on plastic and other non-porous surfaces, and requiring demonstration of this capability within four hours.

Samples of the material and without silver-silica nanoparticles kept in direct contact with SARS-CoV-2 for different amounts of time.

After the requited periods, the viral particles found in the material were removed and placed in contact with Vero cells to measure the infection and replication rate after exposure of the film.

For the unversed, Vero cells are derived from the kidney of an African money and widely used in microbiological cultures.

The viral genetic material was quantified by PCR, showing a reduction of almost 100% in copies of SARS-CoV-2 after 15 minutes of exposure to the film.

''Considering its use in wrapping for food products that are exposed and handled in supermarkets, 15 minutes for the film to eliminate the virus completely from the surface of the material is satisfactory,'' researchers noted. [The Express Tribune]

'Headline, March 28 2021/ '' '' EUROPE : POLICING EUREKA '' '''

''' '' EUROPE : 

POLICING EUREKA '' '''

''WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS A GROWING LEVEL of discontent among members of our society who see a fundamental illegitimacy in law enforcement under the pandemic,'' said Clifford Stott, a professor of social psychology at Keele University in England and an expert on crowd behaviour.'' And it has created strange bedfellows.''

IN BRISTOL - AN ENGLISH COLLEGE town where the pubs are usually, very usually packed with students - there were fiery clashes between the police and the protesters.

IN KASSEL, a German city known for its ambitious contemporary art festival, the police unleashed pepper spray and water cannons on anti-lockdown marchers.

A year after European leaders ordered people into their homes to curb a deadly pandemic, thousands are pouring into streets and squares. Often, they are met with batons and shields, raising questions about the tactics and rule of police in societies where personal liberties have already given way to public health concerns.

IN COUNTRIES LIKE Austria, Denmark, Romania and Spain, frustrated people are lashing out at the restrictions on their daily lives.

With much of Europe facing a third wave of infections that could keep these stifling lockdowns in place weeks or even months longer, analysts warn that tensions on the streets are likely to escalate.

IN BRITAIN , where the rapid pace of vaccinations has raised hopes for a faster opening of the economy than the government is willing to countenance, frustrations over recent police conduct has swelled into a national debate over the legitimacy of the police - one that carries distant echoes of the Black Lives Movement in the United States.

Right-wing politicians who bridle at lockdown restrictions are as angry as the left-wing climate protesters who regularly clog Trafalgar Square in London as part of Extinction Rebellion demonstrations.

Adding to the sense of outrage is the case of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who was abducted and killed while walking home in London, an act for which a police officer was later accused.

The Metropolitan Police then roughly broke up a vigil for Ms. Everand on the ground that the participants were violating coronavirus rules and social distancing.

Early in the pandemic, one local police force used drones to shame a couple walking a dog on a lonely path. The owners of the gyms and sports clubs were raided by police when they opened against the regulations.

The violent clashes in Bristol, which left two police vans charred and 20 officers injured - one with a punctured lung - are deeply frustrating.

Last summer, the city became a powerful symbol Black Lives Matter movement, when a crowd pulled down the statue of a 17th century slave trader, Edward Closton, and dumped it into Bristol Harbor.

An earlier version of the government's coronavirus regulations contained a provision that allowed nonviolent protests. But that was removed from a later version, leaving the right to peaceful assembly in a kind of legal limbo.

''This pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of our unwritten constitution when it comes to certain rights,'' said Adam Wagner, a human rights lawyer and expert on the coronavirus rules.

''If you take representative democracy from the process from the process of law making, you miss out on key voices.''

''The Coronavirus Act contains some of the most draconian detention powers in modern British legal history,'' said Mark Harper, who heads the Covid Recovery Group, a caucus of Conservative Lawmakers critical of the lockdown rules.

While many say the debate on the role of police in Britain is overdue, some sympathize with the plight of the officers.

They are caught between politicians and the public, with a nebulous constitutional status and a shifting set of rules to enforce, particularly during a public health emergency.

''It's not the fault of the police that the coronavirus regulations are in part necessarily draconian and in parts unnecessarily draconian,'' said Shami Chakrabarti an expert in civil liberties and a Labour Party politician.

The bigger problem, she said, is Britain tends to conduct debates about the role of police after wrenching episodes like a police shooting, the killing of Ms. Everard or the violent clashes at Bristol. This inflames public opinion in one direction or the other, she says, but can get in the way of thoughtful debate.

''We almost only ever have this discussion in moments of crisis,'' Ms. Charabarti said, ''not in peacetime''.

To sum, it is ever so obvious that. Heavy-handed responses to lockdown protests only increase the tensions.

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on The State of The World, continues. The World Students Society thanks authors Mark Landler and Stephen Castle.

With respectful dedication to Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of Europe, and then the world. See Ya all prepare and register for. Great Global Elections on The World Students Society : wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

''' Policy- Police '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

AMITABH BACHCHAN AMBIENCE : ESSAY

MUMBAI : ''As artists, I believe we have a duty to preserve what we create,'' Amitabh Bachan said, while speaking on Friday at an awards organised by the International Federation of film archives from around the world.

''Our work represents a lifetime of passion and devotion to our craft. We need to ensure that we preserve this legacy in memory of all those who came before us and in recognition of the moving  image as an art form and a visual document of humankind,'' Bachan shared at the event which was live-streamed simultaneously from Mumbai, Brussels and Lusanne.

Various tributes to the Indian actor's contribution to the preservation of the country's cinematic heritage were made during the ceremony, including video messages from Hollywood directors Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese, both former winners of the FIAF award.

Scorsese, the first recipient of the accolade in 2021, lauded Bachan's cinematic career spanning five decades including over 200 film appearances.

''He's a celebrated actor who has put considerable weight and reputation behind the cause of film preservation,'' he noted.

Big B's legacy

The legendary Hollywood actor was born in 1942 to renowned Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachan and his Sikh wife, Teji Bachan.

Bachan, or Big B, as his fans call him, began his acting career in 1969. Folloeing multiple appearances in Hindi movies, his breakthrough came with the film Zanjeer in 1975, where he played the role of an honest police officer with clashes with the boss of a criminal gang.

This role, along with performances in  subsequent movies including Deewar [1975], in which he portrayed a man disillusioned by the idealism of an honest life, resonated with the masses in socialist India and earned him the epithet of ''the angry young man.''

Through Shoolay, a 1975 western-style film about two crooks who escape prison, Bachan gained cult status in India. in the 1990s, he also became hugely popular in Afghanistan by starring in Khuda Gawah, in the lead role of Afghan tribal chief.

He also featured in Hollywood movie  The Great Gatsby alongside Lenoardo DiCaorio and has been the host of Kaun Banega Croreepati, the Indian edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

He is among  the richest actors in the world, with a net worth estimated $400 million [Euro 337 million]. Beyond India and Afghanistan, he is extremely popular in the Middle East, especially in the UAE and Egypt.

South Asia's endangered film heritage

India has not been very good at preserving its films, according to Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founder of Mumbai-based film Heritage Foundation, which nominated Bachan for the FIAF award.

''By 1950, India has lost almost 70% of its films, and of the 1,338 silent films made in India, just about 29 survived, many only in fragments,'' he said.

The Indian actor nominated for his advocacy efforts to preserve Indian cinema and related memorabilia, as well the celluloid prints of the films he produced and acted in, the FIAF said in a press release prior to the ceremony.

The International Federation of Film Archives [FIAF], of which India's Film Heritage Foundation is an affiliate, is a Brussels-based organization.

It was founded in 1938 in Paris by the Cinematheque Francaise, the British Film Institute, the Museum of Modern Art Film Library and the Reichsarchiv in Germany, which was incidentally one of the world's first film databases, established under Hitler and Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, who was also among the initiators of the federation. [DW]

FORMULA ONE : FATHERING -PROUD- FOOTSTEPS

PARIS : Mick Schumacher is eager to ensure his family name remains a part of Formula's One present, and future as well as its past when he makes his Grand Prix debut.

The 21-year-old-son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is set to be on the grid for American teams Haas at the season opening race in Bahrain - an event won by Michael when the Gulf state staged its inaugural address Grand Prix in 2004.

It will be the first time a member of the family has been involved directly in Formula One race since Michael retired in 2012 and 30 years after the German great's impressive debut for the Jordan team at the 1991 Belgian Grand Prix.

''I have never said that carrying the family name is pressure, and I am pretty sure I will never say that because I am very happy to carry that name back into Formula One,'' said Schumacher at Haas' 2021 launch on Thursday.

''I am very proud of it. It is a boost for me and it gives me a motivation every single day to work as much as I can and work as hard as I can.''

Schumacher senior went on to win 91 91 races for Benetton and Ferrari, with five of his world titles coming in the famous red colours of the Italian marque.

It was only last year that Britain's Lewis Hamilton surpassed his total of race wins, with the Mercedes driver bidding to capture an unprecedented eighth world title this season.

The 52-year-old Michael Schumacher has not been seen in public for more than seven years after a skiing accident, witnessed by Mick, in the French Alps left him with severe brain injuries.

Schumacher, last season's Formula Two champion, added : ''I will try to improve in every aspect - that is what I want to do - and I will work my arse off for that and give everything I have.''

Schumacher and fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin are set to be Hass' two drivers this season.

Mazepin is the 22-year-old son of billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, a non-executive director of Russian company Uralkali, who are the min title partner of the Haas team.

Uralkali, one of the world's largest potash fertiliser producers and exporters, have signed a multi-year agreement starting with Haas, with the team's race car set to be decked out in the colours of the Russian flag even though they are an American outfit. [AFP]

CRYPTO -EDUCATION- CRESTS : ECONOMICS

 

LONDON : Wealth managers still in ''crypto education mode''. Demand for emerging asset class has grown among large investors.

Most wealth managers and financial advisers are still in ''education mode'' on cryptocurrencies but demand for the emerging asset class among larger investors has grown, the boss of Fidelity Investments' Institutional arm said on Tuesday.

While some advisers and investment firms managing the fortunes of wealthy people have grown  ''sophisticated'' and ''comfortable'' with cryptocurrencies, most are still getting to grips with the technology, Mike Durbin said.

''They know what they are doing, and more importantly their end investor base also knows what they are doing - but the vast majority is still in the education mode,'' he added in an interview at the Reuters Digital Assets Week.

Durbin's comments gave a snapshot of interest in cryptocurrencies at Boston-based Fidelity, whose $9.8 trillion in customer assets as of December 31 make it one of the world's investment managers, amid brightened interest in digital assets.

Booming Bitcoin

Bitcoin powered to an all-time high of nearly $62,000 this month, the latest in a meteoric rise fuelled by bigger US investors.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency has soared eightfold in the last year, sparking wider interest in digital assets from investors seeking yield in a world of  ultra-low interest rates.

Mainstream companies and financial firms from Tesla Inc to Bank of New York Mellon Corp have embraced the emerging asset, sparking predictions that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become a regular part of investment portfolios.

In 2018, Fidelity became one of one of the first mainstream investment firms to embrace cryptocurrencies, setting up a unit that offers cryptocurrency and other services for financial firms and corporations. [Reuters]