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european union leVies energy profiTs
Czech Republic’s Minister for Industry and Trade Jozef Sikela, speaks with Malta’s Energy Minister Miriam Dalli, center left, during a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels. >AP Photo/Virginia Mayo
EU adopts levy on excess energy profits, no gas price cap
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The deal could help raise $140 billion in relief for people and businesses hit by the energy crisis
Samuel Petrequin and Lorne Cook – The Associated Press
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union energy ministers adopted last Friday a package of measures to ease an energy crisis, including a levy on windfall profits of fossil fuel companies, but an agreement on capping natural gas prices that is supported by a majority of countries remained off the table.
With energy prices skyrocketing across Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine, the 27 EU countries reached a deal on proposals from the European Commission, which the bloc’s executive arm said could help raise $140 billion in relief for people and businesses hit by the crunch.
They backed a levy of at least 33% on the surplus profits of companies producing or refining oil, natural gas and coal. The two other main measures are a temporary cap on the revenue of low-cost electricity generators such as wind, solar and nuclear companies, as well as an obligation for EU countries to reduce electricity consumption by at least 5% during peak price hours.
Countries will be able to distribute the surplus money from the temporary revenue cap to households and small and medium businesses that have been hit hard. Rising energy prices are fueling inflation, which hit a record 10% this month in the 19 countries that use the euro, pushing Europe closer to recession and eroding people’s spending power.
The three measures approved Friday should be adopted next week and take effect soon afterward. Estonian Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Minister Riina Sikkut said that “the most promising measure to actually bring down the average price is still the reduction of peak consumption.”
Sikkut underlined that any hardship this winter will be nothing compared with the price being paid by Ukrainians.
“We can’t forget that we are in a situation of war. Ukrainians are paying with their lives, so we temporarily may pay higher bills or prices in the food store,” she said.
The measures, however, will not have an immediate effect on the natural gas prices that have been running wild as Russia reduced its supplies to Europe in what European officials call blackmail for their support of Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow. Natural gas is used to heat homes, generate electricity and run factories. “This is an immediate patch,” said Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela, who chaired the meeting in Brussels. “We need to continue our work. We are in an energy war with Russia, which also strongly affects our industry. Further urgent and coordinated EU action is needed.”
According to the European Commission, Russian gas supplies to the EU declined by 37% between January and August this year.
Sikela said most of the energy ministers insisted on the urgent need for stabilizing the electricity market, notably by limiting the price of wholesale gas and its impact on electricity prices in the bloc. He also insisted on the need to accelerate common gas purchases.
A group of 15 member countries urged the European Commission to propose a cap on gas prices as soon as possible to help households and businesses struggling to make ends meet. The proposal was discussed during Friday’s meeting but has yet to gather unanimous support, with Germany notably blocking.
“The price cap that has been requested since the beginning by an ever-increasing number of member states is the one measure that will help every member state to mitigate the inflationary pressure, manage expectations and provide a framework in case of potential supply disruptions, and limit the extra profits in the sector,” they said.
The commission has warned in an analysis that such a cap could weaken the bloc’s ability to secure gas supplies on the global market. But it is open to the idea of introducing a price cap on Russian gas to mitigate the impact of the crisis while negotiating a lower price with other suppliers.
“A wholesale gas price cap is a legitimate option,” said Kadri Simson, EU commissioner for energy. “We agreed with the member states that they will provide further input, and I think that it is also worth mentioning that on the commission side, we also expressed our readiness to develop an EU-level price cap for gas that is used for electricity production.”
Simson added that the commission would likely make new proposals to deal with high gas prices before next week’s informal meeting of EU leaders in Prague.
Eduardo Hilera, M.P.S. Eduardo Hilera, M.P.S. Emergency Management and Homeland Security Expert Emergency Management and Homeland Security Expert
Can we crack the codes? The Storms of September
I’ll start by saying that this is not a criticism of construction, design, or engineering professionals, all of whom must have strong academic backgrounds and comply with numerous board certifications, and licenses to practice their professions. Many must comply with those requirements in numerous jurisdictions. My second caveat here, is that I am by no means an expert in any of the requirements that I am discussing. Quite to the contrary—I am as confused as we all are.
There is only one thing that I am comfortable with stating—these issues can only be fixed by policy makers, and I am inclined to go further and say that they can only be fixed by federal laws and policies. These laws and policies however, must be abundantly clear and require agencies to establish specific policies that work for the people who are most hurt by disasters.
The requirements imposed on building professionals are a patchwork of protocols, safety and standards but can also become quite complex in the process. The interaction of codes between each jurisdiction can only be understood by experts. And experts can only hope to pass that knowledge on to policy makers who could in turn develop policies that address the needs of residents throughout the states.
Policy makers work with their constituents in mind and looking to secure their best interests. Sometimes however, those interests get tangled with other policies and ultimately recovery comes with federal compliancy requirements. The caveat however, is that the federal government and its standards are ever changing, complicated, and interpreted and reinterpreted every single day. To make matters worse, every jurisdiction within the United States has unique state and local policies as well as unique needs and characteristics that require specific considerations.
The International Building Code is a standard code used by jurisdictions throughout the United States as a base for their own policies to address building safety. However, policies used as models have proven to be influenced by the interests of corporations and groups who overlook the needs of many.
Further complicating matters, policies throughout the country change drastically from the east and west coast, to the south and to the Midwest. Essentially, while there are federal agencies that provide aid based on the impact of disasters and require compliance with certain standards, very few, if any national requirements exist. Codes and standards are changed constantly throughout the country and that also creates disparities in standards and challenges in permitting. If one jurisdiction is looking at the next for guidance, and we’re all changing all the time, then we’re changing everything and not doing anything.
When did all this get challenging? When the situations stopped fitting the policies. Unfortunately, in an effort not to overstep state boundaries, the federal government oversteps the interests of those who are the most impacted by a disaster. Those situations are the ones we find in Puerto Rico, Florida, South Carolina, and other jurisdictions throughout the United States; just to mention the ones most recently impacted by hurricanes. In Puerto Rico for instance, there may be homes on land that are not registered with the government, so the owners are not really owners, and the home doesn’t exist—except those persons grew up in those homes and inherited them from their grandparents.
The Atlantic hurricane season— the one that impacts Puerto Rico—runs from June 1 to November 30. The peak, however, occurs from midSeptember to mid-October, which has already started, folks.
The hurricanes permanently recorded in our memories all made landfall in September. Hugo on September 19, 1988; Hortensia on September 10, 1996; Georges on September 21, 1998; and Maria on September 20, 2017. There is a clear trend here.
Abraham Lincoln said: “If I only had one hour to chop down a tree, I would spend 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”
Applying Honest Abe’s wise logic to hurricane season, we should do everything possible to get ready before a disaster.
All it takes to get ready is a little creativity, logic and a few bucks. Being prepared makes our communities more resilient.
The most basic emergency management concept is planning. Emergency managers agree that the first 72 hours after a disaster are crucial— it takes that long for help from first responders to reach those in need. In the spirit of planning, below is a checklist of the steps we can all take to be prepared for those first 72 hours. It doesn’t involve sophisticated equipment, just a few things we can do by ourselves. Inspect Your Home—Look around your home at doors, windows, potentially hazardous objects, and anything easily repairable. Address whatever you find and can fix immediately. Look for loose doors, exposed windows, and non-tempered glass windows or panels. Fix or secure everything you can. Prepare Your Car—If you own a car, keep the tank full. Set a reminder on your phone. In an emergency, a full tank of gas will get you wherever you need to go. In addition, identify a safe spot where you can park your The homes are real enough to be on the power car. grid, but not real enough for federal agencies to Medication—If you or your family take medications, make sure you have a full week’s supply. extend regulated flood insurance programs. So how do we crack the codes? How do we protect folks from disasters, if the first disaster we have are the policies that are supposed to be protecting them?
First Aid Kit—Most of us have first aid products but may not keep them all in the same place. Look through your home and store them all together. The Red Cross and others provide recommendations of specific items to have, such as bandages, topical antibiotics and ice packs. Emergency Phone Numbers— Modern times have made us drift away from it, but use pen and paper and write down your most important contacts. If your phone dies, this could come in very handy. This list will also serve as a reminder of the folks you should keep in touch with during the emergency. Cash at Hand—Electronic payment platforms, ATMS and banks can go out of service. Keep enough money on hand to pay for basics following the disaster.
Damage from Hurricane Maria in Sept. 2017 >Carlos Rivera Giusti, Archive Water—Keep enough drinking water to keep your family hydrated for 72 hours. In addition, keep Homes covered with blue tarps in San Juan after losing their roofs during Hurricane Maria in 2017. >The Weekly Journal containers full of tap water for basic household needs.
In fact, Food—Cook what you can and use perishables first. Make sure to keep non-perishable food as well. The hurricanes permanently recorded in our memories all made landfall in September. Hugo on September 19, 1988; Hortensia on Electronics Charging Routine—Make a list of all your electronics and keep them charged. Keep back-up and disposable batteries handy as well. However, the single most important electronic device is the flashlight. Keep it handy. Tool Kit—Just like your first aid kit, make sure your Unfortunately, in an effort not to overstep state boundaries, the federal government oversteps the interests of those September 10, 1996; Georges on September 21, 1998; and Maria on tools are organized and accessible. An all-in-one tool kit, like many retailers carry, is a good idea to keep handy. who are the most impacted by a disaster. September 20, 2017. There is a clear trend here. Stay Tuned—Identify and follow your preferred news sources. Make sure they’re reliable and frequently updated. In addition, pick up a basic battery-powered radio. Stay Calm—You have done the important work of getting ready. Now, the most important part is to remain calm, during and after the storm.
Do the ‘Time Warp’ again — ‘Rocky Horror’ show will travel
Mark Kennedy – The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Grab your toilet paper. Bring a flashlight. Don’t forget a newspaper — or your fishnets. A touring, interactive version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is hitting the road to celebrate the cult film’s birthday with screenings, live shadow casts, the invitation to be inappropriate and one of its original stars — Barry Bostwick. “It’s an excuse to go crazy, be rude, throw stuff, yell and be silly — who doesn’t want that?” asks Bostwick. “Everyone there is having fun, a communal experience. Especially now after the pandemic, we need to gather and blow off some steam.” Released in 1975, the sci-fi, cross-dressing rock musical film became a cult favorite and entered the pop culture lexicon for its many iconic and memorable scenes, including the song “The Time Warp” which has been covered by handfuls of artists and the often quoted phrase, “Dammit, Janet!” Other things yelled are less PG-13. It has morphed into an interactive event in which people throw rice during a wedding scene, place newspapers on their heads and squirt water during a rain storm scene, and toss dried toast during a dinner toast scene. People often come dressed in corsets, fishnets, maid costumes, butler costumes and heavy stains of eye shadow. “It has endured because it was always organic,” said Bostwick. “The call-backs and throwing stuff was never introduced by the filmmakers or the studio. It was by fans, who added layer after layer and then that all got standardized.” The story centers on the goody two-shoes Janet and Brad, a young couple with car trouble who stumble on an old castle filled with eccentric characters: cross-dressers, scientists and a maid, included. This leads to some interesting pairings and experimentations. The film made household names of Bostwick, who played Brad, Susan Sarandon as Janet and Tim Curry, the castle’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter. The tour will play in stage theaters across the country, which will throw up a massive screen and show the movie while local actors dressed as the characters perform the show in front of the screen and the audience gets seriously weird. Before the show, there are costume contests and fans can see a traveling mini-museum of memorabilia from the film, including a feather boa worn by Curry and a sequined top worn by the character Columbia. The tour kicks off Saturday in Florida’s Pompano Beach before hitting California, Idaho, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, Vermont and North Carolina. Some of the traditional practices — like shooting squirt guns and tossing rice — have been lost along the way, but if you forget to bring other items, prop bags are available for sale. Scott Stander, who produces the show as part of his portfolio of concerts, variety shows and celebrity evenings, said part of the appeal of “Rocky Horror” has been its invitation to audiences to cut loose.
A touring, interactive version of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is hitting the road to celebrate the cult film’s birthday with screenings, live shadow casts. >Dennis Parrington via AP “I think part of it is getting to be whatever they want to be. You could be red or blue and it doesn’t matter. You will get along — one of the few things you can get an audience in together and nobody talks about anything but having a great time,” he said. “Where can you go dress in fishnet or be square
In fact, and act like Brad and hear shout-outs from the audience and have toast flying or toilet paper and just be involved? It’s just so different. There’s The sci-fi, cross-dressing rock musical film became a cult favorite and entered the pop culture lexicon for its many iconic and memorable scenes. nothing like it.” Bostwick will be at each stop, meeting guests and introducing the film. He has had a very varied career since “Rocky Horror,” including roles on “Scrubs,” “Cougar Town” and “Spin City,” plus winning a Tony Award — but few projects have triggered as much sustained enthusiasm as playing Brad. “I was at a convention last month and I looked out and saw 2,000 people and most of them were under 25. It gets passed down from one generation and I think becomes a rite of passage to adulthood,” he said. The pandemic forced the annual tour to be held at drive-ins, but the new version is back to in-person gatherings, something Stander feels we’ve missed. “I think right now we’re looking for anything fun and different to get out and have a good time and forget your troubles, don’t you think?”
Nicole Tagart, a launch official with the 50th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, signals a balloonist to take off in Albuquerque, N.M. >Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal via AP
Annual hot air balloon festival draws global audience to U.S.
Susan Montoya Bryan – The Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Hundreds of hot air balloons lifted off Saturday morning, marking the start of an annual fiesta that has drawn pilots and spectators from across the globe to New Mexico’s high desert for 50 years now. As one of the most photographed events in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has become an economic driver for the state’s largest city and a rare — and colorful — opportunity for enthusiasts to be within arm’s reach as the giant balloons are unpacked and inflated. Three of the original pilots who participated in the first fiesta in 1972 and the family members of others are among this year’s attendees. That year, 13 balloons launched from an open lot near a shopping center on what was then the edge of Albuquerque. It has since grown into a multimilliondollar production. Pilot Gene Dennis, 78, remembers the snow storm that almost caused him to miss that first fiesta. He had to rearrange his flight plans from Michigan so he could make it to Albuquerque in time. The weather was perfect when he got to New Mexico, said Dennis, who flew under the alias “Captain Phairweather.” He was quoted at the time as saying he had brought good weather with him. He was on the hook again, as pilots hope predictions for the rest of opening weekend are fair. “Ballooning is infectious,” Dennis said, describing being aloft like drifting in a dream, quietly observing the countryside below. This year will mark Roman Müller’s first time flying in the fiesta. He’s piloting a special-shaped balloon that was modeled after a chalet at the top of a famous Swiss bobsled run. One of his goals will be flying over the Rio Grande and getting low enough to dip the gondola into the river. “This is my plan,” he said, with a wide smile while acknowledging that it’s not always easy to fly a balloon. One thing that helps, he said, is the phenomenon known as the Albuquerque box — when the wind blows in opposite directions at different elevations, allowing skillful pilots to bring a balloon back to near the point of takeoff. Dennis said it took a few years of holding the fiesta to realize the predictability of the wind patterns allowed for balloons to remain close to the launch field, giving spectators quite a show. Tens of thousands of people packed the field Saturday, wideeyed with necks craned as they tried to soak in the spectacle. Denise Wiederkehr McDonald was a passenger in her father’s balloon during the first fiesta. She made the trip from Colorado to participate in a reenactment of that 1972 flight on Friday. Her father, Matt Wiederkehr, was one of the first 10 hot air balloon pilots in the U.S. and held numerous world records for distance and duration and built a successful advertising business with his fleet of
In fact, balloons. Wiederkehr McDonald, who went on to set her own ballooning records before becoming The balloon fiesta has grown to include a cadre of international ballooning professionals from more than 20 countries. a commercial airline pilot, was wearing one of her father’s faded ballooning jackets and held a cardboard cutout of him as the balloon she was riding in lifted off. She recalled a childhood full of experiences centered on ballooning. “I remember the first time being down in the balloons with them all standing up and inflating and not being able to see the sky because it was all colored fabric. And then the other thing was the first balloon glow at night. Oh, my gosh,” she said. “There were a lot of firsts that I took for granted back then but really look back and appreciate so much now.” The fiesta has grown to include a cadre of European ballooning professionals. More than 20 countries are represented this year, including Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Taiwan and Ukraine. It also serves as the launching venue for the America’s Challenge Gas Balloon Race, one of the world’s premier distance races for gas balloons.
Denise Wiederkehr McDonald, balloonist
“Governor Don Miguel Antonio de Ustariz,” by José Campeche.
“El Artificero,” by Rafael Trelles.
Puerto Rico’s art legacy within one exhibit
Two centuries of art history intersecting in one gallery
Juan A. Hernández, The Weekly Journal
Where could the work of two masters of painting, separated by two centuries of history, intersect? Where could any person contemplate the coincidences in technique and movements between Campeche’s “Governor Don Miguel Antonio de Ustariz” and Rafael Trelles’ “El Artificiero”?
Only in the Legacy Art Exhibit at the La Sede Gallery of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP, for its Spanish acronym).
“There is a direct dialogue between the founding master of Puerto Rican painting José Campeche and new masters like Rafael Trelles and Daniel Lind Ramos, who reinterprets Afro-Puerto Rican traditions through his installation, paintings and sculptures,” said Plastic Arts and Collections program director María del Mar Caragol. “Puerto Rico has such a robust collection of heritage assets that, in order to efficiently manage it, we need different programs.
This is a multidisciplinary exhibit that works with different themes, such as the political portrait, the environment (landscapes), feminism, the preservation of traditions, painting and sculpture, video art, and installations.
“It is an exhibit that invites contemplation and stimulates us to leave behind the sensory void people are usually submerged in. There is a strong cognitive content in each of the gallery’s wings that makes the visitor want to stop and have a conversation with the artwork, and stir his amazement,” the program director said.
Standing in front of José Campeche’s painting of Governor Don Miguel Antonio de Ustariz, the visitor could strike such a conversation not only sensing the character of Puerto Rico’s former Spanish governor –from his Brigadier General uniform to the lavish furniture of his studio– but also by seeing a city with a strong economic activity. Through the open window in the Governor’s studio, the men paving the streets
María del Mar Caragol, director Plastic Arts and Collections program
Daniel Lind Ramos
of San Juan signal the rapid economic pace of the city. At the same time, there is also a glimpse at the social life of the city, with some ladies watching the men work form their balconies.
The Beginning Of The Legacy
According to Caragol, the Legacy Art Exhibit was conceived to be an anthropological exploration of the National Art Collection the ICP has been creating over its 60 years of existence.
“We initiated this project in 2020 by visiting the workshops of the different Puerto Rican artists and talking to them, learning how their collections were doing… we wanted to know about their trajectories over the years,” Caragol explained.
“For us, it was very important to study the National Collection and understand which links, of which artists were missing –whether because the ICP had no funds to buy their artwork to
“Hombre Desintegrándose,” by Domingo García.
update the Collection, or because there was an information gap in terms of their artistic development once they became successful artists. After that, we had to figure out how the National Collection could be updated,” she added.
Caragol recalled that, since 2017 the people of Puerto Rico has suffered several vicissitudes that had a direct impact on the creative work of the arts community in the island.
“Then, the challenge was how could we update the National Collection and make sure this money reach the hands of the artists in times of great need, while identifying at the same the themes necessary to incite a dialogue that would conform the Legacy Exhibit,” Caragol mused.
For the creation and development of the La Sede Gallery and the Legacy Art Exhibit, the ICP invested close to $500,000, of which $150,000 were used for buying 50 new artworks to update the National Art Collection.
The selection process for the new pieces was done following a detailed analysis of the artwork and their authors so the voids in the National Collection could be filled. The analysis also considered the art and artists already represented in the sub-collections of the National Collection: furniture
In fact, and objects, paintings and sculptures, art on paper, textiles, (saints) woodcarving, popular arts, and military The selection process for the new pieces was done following a detailed analysis of the artwork and their authors so the voids in the National Collection could be filled. artifacts. “Thru this gallery and exhibit, visitors will be able to rediscover and appreciate the heritage of our most important art masters who, despite being from different generations, have great similarities in terms of their concerns and the issues the addressed in their work,” said the executive director of the ICP, Carlos Ruiz. The Legacy Art Exhibit is open to the public Wednesday to Sunday, from 10:00am to 5:00pm at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, right behind the Ballajá Barracks, in Old San Juan. The exhibit also has a virtual format that can be accessed through the Google Arts & Culture platform.
