Trump is eradicating these words from all Government documents
Every federal agency in the U.S. is currently trying to figure out how to purge forbidden words from documents posted online, in a desperate attempt to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order to purge “DEI” from every facet of American life.
Here is the decision tree that agencies are ordered to use -
Trump decision tree
Here are key words
activism
activists
advocacy
advocate
advocates
barrier
barriers
biased
biased toward
biases
biases towards
bipoc
black and latinx
community diversity
community equity
cultural differences
cultural heritage
culturally responsive
disabilities
disability
discriminated
discrimination
discriminatory
diverse backgrounds
diverse communities
diverse community
diverse group
equal opportunity
equality
equitable
equity
ethnicity
excluded
female
females
diverse groups
diversified
diversify
diversifying
diversity and inclusion
diversity equity
enhance the diversity
enhancing diversity
fostering inclusivity
gender
gender diversity
genders
hate speech
excluded
female
females
fostering inclusivity
gender
gender diversity
genders
hate speech
hispanic minority
historically
implicit bias
implicit biases
inclusion
inclusive
inclusiveness
inclusivity
increase diversity
increase the diversity
indigenous community
inequalities
inequality
inequitable
inequities
institutional
Igbt
marginalize
marginalized
minorities
minority
multicultural
polarization
political
prejudice
privileges
promoting diversity
race and ethnicity
racial
racial diversity
racial inequality
racial justice
racially
racism
sense of belonging
sexual preferences
social justice
sociocultural
socioeconomic
status
stereotypes
systemic
trauma
under appreciated
under represented
under served
underrepresentation
underrepresented
underserved
undervalued
victim
women
women and underrepresented
Reduce your impact on climate change
Here are some ideas
1. Change five lights - Replace your five most frequently used light fixtures or the light bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR–qualified products and you will help the environment while saving $70 a year on energy bills. ENERGY STAR lighting provides bright, warm light; generates 75% less heat; uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting; and lasts from 10 to 50 times longer.
2. Look for ENERGY STAR - When buying new products for your home, look for EPA's ENERGY STAR label to help you make the most energy-efficient decision. You can find the ENERGY STAR label on more than 60 kinds of products, including appliances, lighting, heating and cooling equipment, electronics, and office equipment. Over their lifetimes, products in your home that have earned the ENERGY STAR label can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 130,000 pounds and save you $11,000 on energy bills.
3. Heat and cool smartly - Heating and cooling accounts for almost half your energy bill—about $1,000 a year! There is a lot you can do to drive down this cost. Simple steps like changing air filters regularly, properly using a programmable thermostat, and having your heating and cooling equipment maintained annually by a licensed contractor can save energy and increase comfort while helping to protect the environment. Depending on where you live, you can cut your annual energy bill by more than $200 by replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR–qualified equipment.
4. Seal and insulate your home - Reduce air leaks and stop drafts by using caulk, weather stripping, and insulation to seal your home's envelope and add more insulation to your attic to block out heat and cold. A knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs and significantly enhance home comfort with comprehensive sealing and insulating measures.
5. Reduce, reuse, recycle - Reducing, reusing, and recycling in your home helps conserve energy and reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal. If there is a recycling program in your community, recycle your newspapers, beverage containers, paper, and other goods. Also, composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
6. Use water efficiently - It takes lots of energy to pump, treat, and heat water, so saving water reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Saving water around the home is simple. Three percent of the nation's energy is used to pump and treat water, so conserving water conserves energy that reduces greenhouse gas pollution. Reduce the amount of waste you generate and the water you consume whenever possible. Pursue simple water-saving actions, such as not letting the water run while shaving or brushing teeth and save money while conserving water by using products with the WaterSense label. Did you know a leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons of water per day? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away. Running your dishwasher only with a full load can save 100 pounds of carbon dioxide and $40 per year. Be smart when irrigating your lawn or landscape. Only water when needed and do it during the coolest part of the day; early morning is best.
7. Be green in your yard - Did you know that food scraps and yard waste make up 20-30 percent of what we throw away? Composting your food and yard waste reduces the amount of garbage that you send to landfills and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
8. Purchase Green Power - Power your home by purchasing green power. Green power is environmentally friendly electricity that is generated from renewable energy sources such as wind and the sun. There are two ways to use green power: You can buy green power, or you can modify your house to generate your own green power.
9. Consider purchasing online - purchasing items online tends to use less carbon than buying in-store, primarily because online shopping eliminates the need for individual car trips to a physical store, making delivery by a single vehicle more efficient in terms of carbon emissions per item delivered; however, the environmental impact can vary depending on factors like packaging and the distance goods need to be transported. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/shop-online-sustainably/
10. Purchase consumables in cans - aluminum cans are generally considered better for the climate than plastic bottles or glass bottles due to their high recyclability and lower energy consumption in production, making them the most environmentally friendly option among the three. Key points about aluminum cans:
High recycling rate: Aluminum cans have a significantly higher recycling rate compared to most plastic bottles, meaning they are more likely to be reused and not end up in landfills.
Less energy intensive production: Producing aluminum cans requires less energy compared to glass or most plastic bottles.
Infinite recyclability: Aluminum can be recycled repeatedly with minimal loss in quality
Ten Myths about American Capitalism
When discussing the economy, myths and misconceptions often cloud our understanding of how it truly functions. These myths, perpetuated by political rhetoric, media oversimplifications, or outdated beliefs, can mislead public opinion and policy making. Robert Reich, a renowned economist and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, has dedicated much of his career to unpacking these economic fallacies. While this is a summary, please take a moment to watch his full explanation this 27 minute video and take a closer look at ten of the most pervasive myths about our economy and the realities behind them. Meanwhile, here is a summary.
Myth 1: Tax cuts for the wealthy stimulate economic growth.
This myth has been a cornerstone of "trickle-down economics," suggesting that lowering taxes for the wealthy will lead to investments that benefit everyone. In reality, decades of data show that tax cuts for the top earners often result in increased inequality rather than widespread economic growth. Wealthy individuals are more likely to save or invest their extra income in ways that don’t directly benefit the broader economy, such as stock buybacks or offshore accounts. Economic growth is more effectively driven by policies that boost middle- and lower-income households, as they are more likely to spend additional income on goods and services.
Myth 2: The free market is always self-correcting.
The idea that the free market operates perfectly without interference is a deeply ingrained belief in some circles. However, history has shown time and again that markets are not inherently self-regulating. From the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, unregulated markets have led to severe economic downturns. Government intervention—through policies like financial regulations, antitrust enforcement, and consumer protections—is often necessary to prevent market abuses and stabilize the economy. If we accept the fact that the earth has limited resources, building an economy on unlimited growth will ultimately lead to catastrophic failure.
Myth 3: Raising the minimum wage kills jobs.
Critics of minimum wage increases argue that higher wages force businesses to cut jobs or close entirely. Yet, numerous studies contradict this claim. When wages rise, workers have more money to spend, which boosts demand for goods and services. This increased demand can lead to job creation rather than job loss. Additionally, higher wages often lead to better employee retention and productivity, offsetting potential costs for employers.
Myth 4: Government debt is inherently bad for the economy.
The idea that government debt is always harmful ignores context. While excessive debt can pose risks, borrowing to invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare, or other public goods can yield long-term economic benefits. For example, during economic downturns, government spending can stimulate growth and create jobs when private sector activity slows. The key is ensuring that debt is managed wisely and used for productive purposes rather than short-term political gains.
Myth 5: Trade deficits are always harmful.
Trade deficits—the gap between what a country imports and exports—are often portrayed as a sign of economic weakness. However, trade deficits are not inherently bad, nor are they inherently good. They can reflect a strong domestic economy where consumers and businesses have the purchasing power to buy foreign goods. Moreover, focusing solely on trade deficits ignores other factors like foreign investment inflows, which can offset negative impacts. However, while open trade reduces prices for goods, it often takes advantage of low wage labor in unsafe conditions where there are no worker protections.
Myth 6: Automation is entirely to blame for job losses.
While automation has certainly transformed industries and displaced some jobs, it is not the sole culprit behind job losses or wage stagnation. Outsourcing and corporate practices driven by profit maximization have also played significant roles in reducing job opportunities in certain sectors. Moreover, automation can create new industries and opportunities if paired with policies that prioritize worker retraining and education.
Myth 7: The stock market reflects the health of the economy.
The stock market is often used as a barometer for economic performance, but this is misleading. While stock prices may indicate investor confidence or corporate profitability, they do not necessarily reflect broader economic realities like wage growth, employment rates, or income inequality. A booming stock market can coincide with stagnant wages and rising inequality, as much of the market’s gains benefit a small percentage of wealthy individuals.
Myth 8: Immigrants take jobs from native-born workers.
This myth persists despite evidence to the contrary. Numerous studies show that immigrants contribute significantly to economic growth by filling labor shortages, starting businesses, and paying taxes. In many cases, immigrants take jobs in sectors where there is little competition from native-born workers, such as agriculture or care-giving. Rather than displacing workers, immigration often complements the existing workforce and boosts overall productivity.
Myth 9: Social programs discourage work.
Critics of social safety nets argue that programs like unemployment benefits or food assistance disincentivize work. However, research shows that these programs provide crucial support during times of economic hardship without significantly reducing labor force participation. In fact, social programs can help stabilize the economy by ensuring that people have enough income to meet basic needs, thereby maintaining consumer demand.
Myth 10: Economic inequality is inevitable in a capitalist system.
While capitalism does create winners and losers, extreme inequality is not an unavoidable outcome. Policies such as progressive taxation, strong labor protections, and investments in education and healthcare can mitigate inequality while maintaining economic dynamism. Countries with robust social safety nets and equitable wealth distribution—like those in Scandinavia—demonstrate that capitalism can coexist with lower levels of inequality.
Conclusion
Understanding these myths is crucial for shaping informed public policies that promote sustainable growth and shared prosperity. By challenging these misconceptions, we can move toward an economy that works for everyone—not just the wealthiest few. As Robert Reich has consistently emphasized, economic systems are human-made; they reflect the choices we make as a society. Dispelling these myths is the first step toward building a fairer and more equitable future.
North American Solution to Climate Change
We are now facing one of humankind’s greatest challenges. It is apparent that our use of fossil fuels to generate electricity is one of the many contributing factors threatening the very existence of many of the Earth’s species along with the way we live and conduct our business. The good news is that there are new and innovative companies and technologies that are rising up to address this challenge. In meeting this challenge, these companies are seizing one of the greatest business opportunities in history.
The solution to climate change lies in electrifying the entire energy sector and transitioning the electric supply to 100% renewable, 100% of the time. The pressure to move as fast as possible to this goal is increasing exponentially every year. Local, state and national governments across the globe are passing legislation that is pushing the limits of our electric distribution systems. Most of the time, renewable generation from wind and solar does not match the load. Often, in many areas today, there is more renewable generation than load. In order to achieve our renewable goals, the world is in desperate need of a low-cost electric storage solution and the technology exists today to fully address the problem.
This Blog is intended to outline a comprehensive solution to climate change. By transforming the entire energy sector to electricity along with transforming the electric generation fleet to renewable sources, the solution will be less expensive than continued reliance on fossil fuels. For example, based on the current residential electric rates, operating an electric vehicle is less expensive than a fossil fuel counterpart. Using an air-source or geothermal heat pump, with a coefficient of performance of 3.0 or better, it is less expensive to heat and cool a home than using fossil fuels. Better yet, direct thermal heating from the sun is the least expensive and most efficient of all.
The technology currently exists to create solutions to remove carbon from the energy supply and reverse the current trend towards climate destruction. Those solutions include -
Construction of a North American High Voltage transmission grid to move renewables between the coasts and provide an additional 3 hours of solar energy.
Implementing the technology to ensure the grid can isolate events in order to provide maximum security and resiliency.
Maximizing the ability of the grid to handle additional solar and wind generation while minimizing infrastructure costs. Maximizing existing hydro resources by transitioning these assets to be a peaking resource that will be used when there are inadequate wind and solar resources.
Providing real time communication to enable appliances and plug devices to interact with the grid so that load can be shifted to maximize the output of renewable generation.
Provide consumers the ability to take control of their energy costs and save money through real time pricing communications directly to appliances, plug loads, and electric vehicle charging.
Providing the solutions to enable the transformation of heating, cooling and transportation to all run on electricity.
Implementing the process of moving our energy sector to 100% renewable, 100% of the time.
Accomplishing .these goals without increasing electric rates.
Summarizing the steps required to accomplish these goals.
Understanding the Challenge
Let’s start with the basics of electricity. Today’s electric grid is one of humankind's greatest accomplishments. We have connected every home in America to the electric grid. In the 1930s people only had access to electricity if they lived in a city or a town. Over ½ of America was in the dark. Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an executive order that formed the Rural Electrification Administration, which ultimately led to the grid we have today. 80 years later, we have significantly more resources available for the next level of transformation.
This interconnected electric grid is defined by physics as an unstable system. A system is unstable if, when displaced, it accelerates away from the displacement. Only when you apply external force can the system be returned to stability. An example is a ball barely resting on a hill. Once displaced, it accelerates down the hill. You have to apply an opposing force, such as blocking it, to stop it. Once the grid starts losing its inertia, if you do not introduce new inertia, the entire grid can collapse quickly. Here is traditionally how inertia, or momentum is provided to the grid.
The grid was designed for spinning generation. A generator has a shaft that rests in a magnetic field. The shaft is connected to a flywheel that provides inertia. An outside force, such as a motor spins the shaft exciting the electrons in the winding on the spinning poles which produces electricity as those windings pass through the magnetic field. That electricity is then sent over wires through the grid to your home or business. This inertia is important as it keeps everything spinning at the same speed in spite of brief interruptions, surges, or fluctuations.
These generators are all interconnected by the grid and are designed to run at a rate based on a continuous and exact frequency be held at 60 cycles per second. For effective and safe operation of the electric grid, it is very important that the frequency and voltage be controlled tightly. The entire connected grid runs on the same timing and voltage. Without consistency of these critical elements that need to be monitored every millisecond, the grid can quickly collapse.
The electric grid is a huge lake of energy. This lake of energy has millions and millions of things taking water (electricity) out of the lake at varying flow rates every minute, every millisecond. In order for everything to run exactly at the 60 cycle per second timing, the aggregate of water coming into this lake of energy must exactly match the water withdrawn from the lake at all times - down to the millisecond. It is up to the grid operators to ensure everything is in balance - that energy use vs. inputs match precisely
In the old grid, where our electricity came from central power plants, the spinning generators provided inertia. This inertia protected the grid from momentary power interruptions that were common due to things like equipment failure, switching delays, or lightning strikes. This inertia provides ”forgiveness” to our grid. Much like a car driving down the road, if it encounters a large pothole, the car doesn’t stop. The inertia results in the car going right over the pothole before the driver can react. Even when the grid consisted almost entirely of centralized generation using spinning generators, problems could occur that would overcome the built-in inertia.
For example, the Northeast blackout of 2003 was a widespread power outage throughout parts of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, and the Canadian province of Ontario on August 14, 2003, just after 4:10 p.m. EDT. Some power was restored by 11 p.m. however, most customers did not get their power back until two days later. In other areas, it took nearly a week or two for power to be restored. The blackout's primary cause was a software bug in the alarm system at the control room of First Energy Corporation, an Akron, Ohio–based company, causing operators to remain unaware of the need to re-distribute load after overloaded transmission lines dropped in voltage. What should have been a manageable local blackout cascaded into collapse of the entire electric grid.
The Challenge of Wind
Wind and solar generation introduce two types of instability to the grid. First, both generation sources use electronic inverters to convert the electricity that is generated to electricity that is suitable for connection to the electric grid. While a wind turbine does spin, the inertia of the spin is not tied to the grid and therefore does not provide the benefits of inertia that we have with centralized spinning generation. The turbine blade spins a generator whose output is put through an electric conversion before it is connected directly to the grid.
This is to enable maximum output in every wind speed as well as to provide maximum operational flexibility. While the configuration optimizes the turbine to obtain maximum power, it does introduce additional instability to the grid. As we move forward with moving the electric grid, this instability must be accounted for. One of the greatest considerations with wind is how to account for the puffiness and non-linear nature of wind. As the chart below shows, wind can be very erratic.
The output of wind turbine can quickly rise and fall. The nature of wind varies with the location of the turbine, so the impacts vary as well. Off-shore wind tends to be more stable than on-shore wind. Wind in the flat geography of the Midwest tends to be more stable than ridge-line wind in the east. A wind turbine on the ocean or in the Midwest can produce twice as much as one in hilly terrain.
As was stated earlier, the grid was designed for spinning generation, which ramps up smoothly and once the generator is up to full output, it stays there. As a result, damping and ride-through needs to be added to the grid as more and more wind and solar are deployed Damping is what is needed to correct for momentary sags in the grid caused by the cloudiness over solar and brief puffiness of wind. Ride-through is the ability to continue to provide electricity for brief outages, such as a lightning strike or a branch making contact as it falls from a tree. We can redesign the grid to accommodate for the choppiness and provide the necessary damping and ride-through. The solutions are off the shelf, straightforward and will be addressed later as part of the overall solution.
Example of the variability of wind generation
The Challenge of Solar
Solar generation has similar issues to wind. Solar cells individually produces electricity at 0.6 volts direct current (DC). They are connected in series to achieve the voltage needed for the connected inverter. The job of the inverter is to convert the DC voltage to the alternating current (AC) voltage that is required to connect to the electric grid. Similar to the problems that are introduced by wind generation, these inverters lack the inertia that the centralized spinning generation provided for the grid. That inertia now needs to be installed on the grid using alternative solutions. Presently, that back-up inertia tends to be generators that can automatically respond to grid changes. Those are most likely powered by natural gas.
Solar panel output is significantly impacted by sky conditions. In areas of the southwest, with long stretches of sunny weather uninterrupted by clouds, this problem is not as prevalent. However, from fair-weather cumulus clouds to the towering cumulonimbus clouds associated with thunderstorms, these present a challenge to a grid that was designed for the continuous output of spinning generation. The solutions to the choppiness of solar are the same solutions that address the choppiness of wind. Again, the solutions are off the shelf, straightforward, and will be addressed later as part of the overall solution.
The Challenge of Capacity Factor
Another challenge from moving to the continuous nature of centralized spinning generation to renewable generation is the fact that we cannot call on wind and solar when it is needed. Wind and solar does not continually produce 24 hours per day. Using these sources, we are subject to the whims of nature and the reality of the orbit of the sun. A very important measure for matching generation to load is capacity factor.
Capacity factor is the ratio of an actual electrical energy output over a given period of time to the maximum possible electrical energy output over that period. For calculation purpose, the number of hours per year (8760) is used as the baseline. If a solar panel was able to produce its maximum output 24 hours per day for a year, it would have a 100% capacity factor. The fact of the matter is that the sun does not shine at night, and clouds reduce the output even during the day. As the sun rises and sets, the output of the panel is reduced. In the Northern Hemisphere, output in January is significantly less than in June. To determine the practical amount of energy produced from any type of generator, take what is called the nameplate capacity, or what the generator is capable of producing, and then compare that to the actual production.
The formula is as follows: actual annual production/nameplate capacity X 8,760. A typical solar panel in the northeastern United States produces an annual average of 4.2 hours of generation per day. If we input that number into the formula for a 4-kilowatt array, we find the capacity factor as follows; 4.2 hours per day X 4 kilowatts X 365 days per year means the total actual output for the year would be 6,132 kilowatt-hours. The maximum possible energy from this 4-kilowatt array would be 4 kilowatts X 8,760 which would be 35,040 kilowatt-hours. We take the actual output of 6,132 kilowatt-hours and divide it by the maximum output of 35,040 kilowatt-hours and we come up with a capacity factor of 17.5%.
The production capacity of solar and wind is impacted by the seasons. For example, in the Northeast, the wind blows regularly in the winter when the sun is not shining as much. In the summer, solar is productive when the wind is not blowing as much. Wind pairs very well with solar in the northeast. On the northern border of the continental United States, the sun is out for 8-½ hours during the winter solstice and almost 16 hours during the summer solstice.
The use of coal has been trending downward for many decades. Coal has been mainly displaced by natural gas fueled power plants. It is difficult to cycle a coal plant. Natural gas fired plants are designed to respond to changing load conditions. For now, natural gas fired power plants are used as balancing tools for renewable generation. That does not have to be the case, as we will show later in this article.
The good news about the switch to natural gas from coal, is that a kilowatt-hour of electricity produced from a natural gas fired generation facility emits 60% less carbon from the fuel than the same kilowatt-hour produced at a coal fired generation facility.
Currently, the United States consumes about 4000 terawatt hours per year. If we add up the total US electric generation sources, the total is about 1500 Gigawatts of generation. Over an annual basis, this shows we have an average capacity factor of 31%. However, the challenge is that the way Americans use electricity today results in a very uneven load pattern, with a lot of usage during the day, and very little at night. This presents a real challenge in our goal to transition to 100% renewable, 100% of the time. The wind blows when it wants to, and solar is controlled by the earth's orbit around the sun. Wind and solar production does not match need (the system load).
The Implications of Capacity Factor
The fact that wind and solar cannot be called for when needed means that in order to solve climate change, grid operators will have move power to where it is needed, change how we use it, or store it until it is needed. All of these issues present very important cost and design implications.
To develop an understanding of the challenge, solar generation alone will be used as an example. The northeastern part of the United States will be the location for this example. First evaluation will run the electric grid 100% of the time on the energy from solar.
The fact is that the sun does not shine all of the time. In the northeast, the capacity factor of solar is 17.5%. To to meet 100% of electricity needs for the entire year, it will be necessary to put up enough solar panels to meet those needs. The way to determine this is simply to divide 100% (total need) by 17.5% (the capacity factor) and this will result in the need to construct approximately 6 times the daily requirement and then store it until it is needed.
The average household in the United States consumes around 900 kilowatt-hours per month. Therefore, to meet the needs of the average household, it is necessary to install 5.4 kilowatt-hours of solar and then store it is required. How much storage is necessary?
The next challenge is with providing solar at the individual level. Because of the changes of the seasons, the panels produce 1/3 of their energies in the winter. This means it will be necessary to increase the number of solar panels by 2/3 to meet the winter needs and dump the power during the summer, or put in enough storage to carry the energy from the summer to the winter. Putting enough storage in place is impractical from a cost standpoint, therefore it will be necessary to increase number of solar panels by 2/3 and install a 15-kilowatt system rather than the 5.4-kilowatt system. At a price of $3.14/watt, the solar production will cost $47K.
This will require storage to meet the requirements when there is not enough solar generation available. It will be necessary to design the system around the winter months, as that is when the greatest storage is required. It will also be necessary to design around average usage pattern of a home, which means the bulk of the power consumption occurs during the evening and morning.
Using the typical residential usage and solar production curves in the graph below, battery storage will be needed for about 80% of the total daily usage. At 900 kilowatt-hours per month, that equates to 30 kilowatt-hours per day, which means the need to store 80%, or 24 kilowatt-hours. It will also require a system prepared for 3 days of cloudy weather, where the solar panels produce only about 20% of the total, therefore, add another 38 kilowatt-hours for a total of 62 kilowatts of storage. Today's prices for residential storage run about $800 per kilowatt, so the total cost for storage will be about $50K.
A total system cost, storage and solar, to be about $100K. With the assumption that the system will last 20 years with an average usage of 900 kilowatt-hours per month, the actual cost of electricity would be 47 cents per kilowatt-hour. This number will be used as a base-line as part of the North American solution to climate change.
The good news is that there is an electric grid which can connect to more efficient areas of production, and there is wind and hydro power to create even greater efficiency. The electric grid interconnects all of North America. If we combine the potential for all of our renewable resources, including the incredible hydro capacity in Northern Canada, a carbon-free and low-cost electric solution to tackle the challenge of climate change exists.
The production and load challenge
The grid is controlled by 13 different Independent System Operators (ISO). The job of the ISO is to ensure there is always adequate generation for the load.
This chart shows us some interesting challenges. This graph shows the impact of solar generation in New England. Without solar, this graph would have shown a gradual increase in load from morning through evening. The graph shows the impact of solar as this is a very sunny day. While the solar has been very effective at reducing the overall load mid-day, the system still peaks in the evening. The problem for grid operators is that the system must be constructed to handle the peaks. If there was a way to extend the solar, the overall system investment costs can be reduced.
Here are the sources of generation on that same day:
This chart shows the challenge fof converting to 100% renewable energy supply 100% of the time. The positive impact that solar has made by reducing the natural gas generation required is evident. However, that natural gas generation fleet must be kept in place to be able to handle the peaks in the evening.
This was the renewable generation that was operating that day in this next graph:
This graph shows some interesting information. Note that the wind was very productive during the hours it was not needed. The wind blows when nature decides it is going to blow and it has little relationship to the demand requirements. It would be practical if the energy could be stored from the wind when it was blowing and released it during the daytime hours when it was needed. The solar production shows less than 100 Megawatts, yet in the first graph there must be a lot more solar production. The reason for this is that ISO-NE, which controls the grid, does not have visibility to net-metered solar, as well as any solar production facilities less than 5 Megawatts. ISO-NE considers this to be” dark generation”. This is solar because ISO-NE does have visibility to the other generation sources and none of the other sources were producing what was being consumed that day.
Here is the total system load for a day in April of the same year:
The drop in the load that is a result of the solar generation. The system peak load is in the evening when the sun goes down.
The total generation on that day:
The drop in the use of natural gas while the solar production is in place is evident. Coal is being used that day for some of the generation. The coal generation is not displaced by the solar. Unfortunately, coal generators are harder to shut down (and fire up) than natural gas. It is important to recognize that coal generation emits 2-½ times the amount of locked carbon than that of natural gas. A kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by natural gas will emit 1 pound of carbon as opposed to 2.3 pounds emitted when producing with coal.
The renewable generation for that same day:
The wind starts to produce at the end of the day. Energy from burning municipal waste produces a significant amount of electricity in New England. This waste is then burned to create steam which is used to power a generator and create electricity. ISO-NE defines refuse as ”renewable” even though much of the energy from municipal waste comes from plastics.
A hot summer day in August. Here is the total system load chart:
The total load was significantly more than in April (14750 megawatts). This is due to air conditioning load.
The generation sources (Note that the bulk of the generation is from natural gas):
Here is the renewable generation for that day:
The Solution
Canada is an important source of renewable energy with the United States being part of an interconnected North American grid – an important foundation of a renewable infrastructure . Canada is the second largest producer of hydro power, with China being the first. As neighbors, their hydro-power is much more valuable as a stored energy resource than for base-load power, which is how it is being used today. Canada presently has 75 Gigawatts of installed hydro, which compares to the 80 Gigawatts in the United States. The United States and Canada average close to 50% capacity factors for hydro power. Hydro power will be used there is not adequate wind and solar production. This also applies to hydro power in the United States. Hydro power is to be used as a “peaking” resource rather than a “baseload” resource.
The plan is to upgrade and interconnect the existing transmission system to form an international High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) network to move power from coast to coast. This grid would include Canada. This would require a good-faith negotiation with adequate financial incentives for Canada to cooperate. The HVDC grid is used because it operates at such a high voltage that there is very little system loss (less than 2%) as a result. In the past, there were major concerns about security with such a network, as a hostile nation would be able to take out the entire grid by disabling this transmission component. Today, we have very fast switches that can isolate sections of the grid down to neighborhoods based on local conditions. With this distributed architecture, security is built into the grid at the local level, making it practically impossible to take down a grid. This must be a design requirement for all electric utilities moving forward. There will thousands of micro-grids into the international HVDC network.
The HVDC solution will have a significant reduction in the cost of renewable power to the residential user. If that solution just limited solar alone, as w with the first residential solar example, there are significant savings because solar power is able to be moved around the grid to where the need is. A HVDC grid will be able to move solar from the west coast, which will add 3 hours to daily solar production. By adding those three hours, the average daily production rises from 4.2 hours to 7.2 hours. This allows a reduction in the residential panel array example from 15 kilowatts to an 8.7 kilowatt-hour system. The cost is reduced from $47K to $27K. There will be a similar reduction battery storage requirements by at least this much because of the ability to import power from more sunny areas as well. This cuts the battery storage required in half. That brings the storage cost down from $50K to $25K. The total cost of the system is now $52K. At 900 kilowatt-hours per month, over a 20-year period, our residential electricity cost is now 24 cents per kilowatt-hour versus the 47 cents identified earlier.
Next step is to supplement the solar wit available wind. Wind production costs are about 5 cents per kilowatt-hour for Midwest and off-shore. Transmission costs are less than 2 cents. 3 cents are required for the distribution utility overhead costs. This now represents a landed residential cost e of 10 cents, to include the overhead needed to support the local distribution networks. This wind power will off-set ½ of the solar and storage needs. The solar and storage costs are cut in 1/2 and replaced with 10 cent power versus 24 cent power. The blended cost of residential power is now 17 cents per kilowatt-hour ( (10+24)/2) ).
Instead of using residential solar and storage, utility scale storage is used, which is ½ the cost. The solar and storage costs are reduced from $26k to $13K by using utility or grid-scale storage, The reason it is so much less expensive is the benefits of economies of scale. Rather than building a separate system for every home, the utility can build larger installations to serve communities. Significant reductions in construction, permitting and purchasing costs are a result. Our electricity cost is now at 11 cents per kilowatt hour versus the 17 cents described above.
There is much more to the solution to climate change than simply changing the supply of residential electricity. To eliminate carbon the entire transportation, industrial, and heating and cooling sectors over to electricity. This will require significant new construction of wind, solar, and storage resources. It will be important to look at the existing grid to optimize those resources. For example, locating a solar field in an existing location that has adequate grid resources will be significantly less expensive than a location that requires new construction of electrical infrastructure. Overall, there is a lot of capacity on the grid if care is taken about location selection. Several recent studies show that most of the grid can double the current electrical traffic without upgrades assuming considerations are placed on the location of the generation. That care can be further improved by utilizing a ”Smart Grid” which will be discussed later in this paper.
Optimization of hydro resources can be accomplished by using this power source when we there is not adequate wind and solar supply. A key part of this solution is looking at the efficiency of the entire system to ensure all possible waste has been eliminated in order to minimize the amount of electric resources needed. That said, simply electrifying transportation represents a significant improvement in efficiency. The efficiency of an electric motor is 95% compared to the efficiency of a gas motor at 25%. Another example of a dramatic improvement in efficiency is converting incandescent bulbs at 15 lumens per watt to L.E.D. bulbs at 100 lumens per watt.
As shown above, there is a long way to go in order that the current electric footprint is to be 100% renewable, 100% of the time. The solution is to start, state by state, by constructing as much wind and solar as possible, and developing interstate compacts to establish long-term power contracts that will enable construction of new facilities.
As the transportation, heating and cooling systems are converted to electricity, the design must not exacerbate current load patterns by simply allowing these units to charge and discharge randomly. As shown from the charts above, good system design will take advantage of the ability to shift those loads to when there are adequate supply resources. Load is needed when the wind is blowing and the sun is shining and when there is not enough load to consume all the generation.
The best way to encourage consumption when the generation is abundant and discourage consumption when resources are tight is through pricing. Today, electric utilities hedge the market for their consumers. The market price of power swings wildly. When there is excess generation during minimum load the price of power actually can go negative. Customers are paid to consume power! Conversely in many regions of the country, while the wholesale cost of electricity averages below 5 cents per kilowatt-hour, there are many times when the cost can go as high as $1 per kilowatt-hour when demand is high and generation is constrained.
The price of power on the wholesale market is directly related to supply and demand. If the demand is high when the supply is low, such as a very cold winter day in New England, prices skyrocket. Conversely, at night, when demand drops off, prices fall. Recently, we have seen prices very low during the day when the temperature is moderate and the sun is shining. This is the new pricing trend that is a result of the increasing renewable generation available to the grid.
The technology exists today to send these prices directly to the electric vehicles, heating and cooling systems, and appliances. Providing the opportunity for the end consumer to be able to take advantage of the market pricing will give the consumer more control over the electricity prices, provide tremendous opportunity for savings, and most importantly, will encourage load when there are excess supplies of renewable generation. Providing the opportunity to give the consumer more control over their energy use is the way to make this transition work
Optimizing the pricing for the consumer can all be done automatically through a simple user interface. These technologies are available off-the-shelf today. Using an electric vehicle as an example, the consumer does not care what time of night the vehicle batteries are charged. A consumer can simply give the instruction to make sure the car is adequately charged when they leave in the morning. Through the interface to the grid, the car will charge when prices are lowest.
There are products today that actually utilize hot water heaters as loads for excess renewable generation. These devices communicate with the grid and tell the water heater to heat up when there is excess generation available. These products also ensure that the consumer has hot water when they need it.
This communication is very important in facilitating greater penetration of renewable generation on the grid. Today there are examples, such as in Northern Vermont, where renewable generation has to be shut down due to the fact that there is not enough load on the system. When the wind is blowing and the sun is shining, Northern Vermont has 350 Megawatts of generation on an electric grid that is only capable of moving 250 Megawatts. Increasing the capacity of the grid is expensive. A much less expensive alternative would be to have the ability to add load through interactive grid communication with appliances. As the entire energy system is electrified, including transportation, heating and cooling, these communication technologies will be key to success.
The foundation for the conversion of the entire energy system to 100% renewable power 100% of the time is the Smart Grid. This grid will have a continuous conversation between the appliances, the grid, and the generation sources to ensure optimization of resources in real time. Every device will be tied into the grid. To ensure maximum security, the grid will use a single-purpose utility network to push signals and requests out to the end appliances. Then, the internet will be used for return signaling and confirmation. This will ensure maximum levels of security and that hackers will not be able to access the network.
Another key component of moving to 100% renewable energy 100% of the time is strategic investment and strategic grid location of batteries. Overall, battery storage is the holy grail for extensive deployment of renewables. At a minimum, batteries provide the necessary correction for the choppiness of wind and solar as described above.
The deployment of batteries has already begun. Several utilities have started to incentive storage systems in residential homes as, not only can these systems provide storage to help the grid, they also can provide high quality power, which help appliances last longer, and back-up for those homes during power outages.
However, the best return for investment in storage comes from coupling the storage with renewable generation. Battery storage reduces or eliminates the need for costly grid upgrades.
Again using solar in the northeast as an example. The capacity factor of solar in the northeast is 17.5%. Deploying solar on a single power line that is capable of a 5-Megawatt solar field without storage, there will be a total of 7,665 Megawatt hours of production on an annual basis (5 Megawatts X 8,760 hours/year X .175). However, optimizing that power line with storage, results in much as 43,800-Megawatt hours annually from that same power line. That same power line can support a 28.5-Megawatt solar field and store the energy while it produces more than the feeder, and release it to always keep within the confines of the feeder. Add a smart grid to the feeder to turn on loads during peak production will result in even more renewable generation on that same feeder.
Utility scale battery storage prices are coming down rapidly. As of this writing, the Capital Cost of storage less than $300 per kilowatt-hour. At $300 capital cost, renewable energy will be very competitive with fossil fuels assuming that the grid is optimized based on the principles laid out in this document. The idea that it costs money to solve climate change is simply a myth. It makes sense to be planning our transition away from fossil fuels immediately. Even the climate change skeptics should be persuaded by the cost argument.
North American Solution – Action Steps
Come to agreements with states to sign on to the North American Solution to Climate Change.
Establish commissions to oversee the roll-out at the international and regional level. These commissions will provide methodologies, as well as technical and educational support.
Utilize and expand the existing networks to provide education and advocacy.
Recruit volunteers to consult and provide communications.
Utilize social media platforms to hold regularly scheduled town halls to coordinate, and communicate.
Encourage towns, cities and communities across America and Canada to pass climate change resolutions.
Develop a detailed timeline and key performance measures.
Develop the plan and route for the HVDC network utilizing existing corridors.
Pass legislation in supportive states, communities and provinces.
Support the states, communities, and provinces with planning methodologies and education.
Introduce legislation at the federal level to require Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (CAFE) that will transition our transportation fleet to all-electric over a ten-year period.
Introduce legislation at the federal level for the heating and cooling sector to achieve Coefficient of Performance (COP) standards of 3.0 or greater over a ten-year period.
Work with the distribution utilities and consumers to provide education and support.
Start negotiations with transmission operators, ISO’s, and states to plan and construct the HVDC network.
Require the electric utilities to construct the required networks.
Permit the HVDC grid.
Construct the HVDC grid
Lessons on Empathy from Sadie Chamberlain, a college senior playwright with disabilities.
Sadie Chamberlain, a talented Vermont native, wrote and stars in the original play called A Taste of Freedom, exploring life as a person with disabilities through the lens of imagination. This is an original play that delves into her personal experiences, exploring themes of imagination, identity, and the quest for freedom. The narrative focuses on how the protagonist navigates life, using creativity and imagination as tools for empowerment and expression. Sadie is a senior at Saint Michael’s College, majoring in Theater and Psychology, which she integrates into her creative work. Aside from her play, Sadie was also recognized as the Grand Prize Winner of Major League Baseball’s Breaking Barriers Essay Contest.
I saw this play and realized the story goes beyond a person with disabilities and addresses the struggles that most people face as they strive for personal meaning. I was so intrigued by the play that I asked Sadie to engage in a dialogue with me. I wanted to interview Sadie before she became so successful that I would not have the opportunity again.
Sadie began by stating that when she is out walking, and someone is behind her, it is obvious that she has some kind of injury. That injury is permanent. People often think that because of the way she walks, they conclude she is stupid. If she could take the time to explain…..
Look, I know I am not attractive by societies standards. People stop me and say “You are beautiful.” “I know I am beautiful, however, I know that I am beautiful in my own way.” As she was attempting to explain, Sadie referred to the Girls State Program. American Legion Auxiliary Green Mountain Girls State is a leadership development program for rising high school seniors. The focus of the program is Vermont town, county, and state government. Delegates are elected and appointed to offices within the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government. Throughout the session, they work on the current issues that affect young people and citizens of the United States. This culminates in legislative sessions and simulated floor debates during the State House session.
While attending Girls State, Sadie was chosen to represent Vermont at Girls Nation, in DC. A person is chosen to go to Washington DC to represent their state. When the representatives from the states first meet they quickly become a friendly group, exchanging jokes and barbs about each state they are from. A group of girls formed around Sadie and pretty much asked, “why are you here.” She responded (with firm strength), “I am here to represent my state and my country.” She then met Civil Rights Icon (sarcasm) Mike Pence. “He gave what he thought was an inspiring speech and then he shook everyone’s hand while we were all sitting. I was in one of the last rows and we had to wait to leave. When I got up, Mr. Pence saw me and it was obvious he noticed my gate and came over. He stops and puts his hand on my shoulder. He then physically cups my hand and says, “thank you very much, you are so inspiring. You are going to go so far.” Sadie recognized how hollow those words were. She says it would have been better to acknowledge the disability that she has to overcome. She simply does not want to be patronized by someone who clearly did not support the community. She did all she could to not “stick it to the man,” as she did not want to ruin the event for others.
I then wanted to hear more about why she did not want to “stick it to the man.” Is it because she is compassionate, or hopeful? She responded that she really wants people to understand who she is. She referred to me by saying she does not necessarily know how to address a transgender woman and she genuinely wants to know. She would want the same from people who meet her. Each one of our experiences is different. Just because you know one person who has disabilities does not mean you know her. She really would take the time to compassionately answer questions about who she was. She knows some of the time people are simply patronizing her. Some people are also earnestly interested in understanding. However there are times when people patronize. Usually, she ignores that. However, occasionally she finds an opening.
She knows everyone has an opportunity to learn something and she fights the urge to “eye-roll them.” as she does not want to miss the opportunity for dailogue and understanding. It is also very difficult to explain to every person that comes along as to “why she walks that way.” She says it takes at least three minutes. Three minutes is the maximum amount of time before someone new will take to ask me why she walks differently. She starts with, “I have Cerebral Palsy.” She would explain that Cerebral palsy in adults is caused by brain damage that occurs before birth. It is a congenital condition that impacts her physical condition, not her ability to think or her intelligence.
I then shared with Sadie that this was a revelation to me. It would be much kinder for a person to take the time to explain to another person who they are and why they present themselves in such a way. That is a much better response than the eye-roll. Of course that assumes the other party is also willing to take the time to listen. She then proceeded to tell me the assumptions she was trying to avoid when she first met me as a transgender woman. She did not know how to address me. Of course, I do not make it easy for people because I assume they should know who I am and address me with the proper pronouns. I explained to Sadie that this was a revelation for me and my insensitivity. This lesson for me is that I will make it easier for people who I first meet.
She then said it is equally difficult to be genuinely curious as it is to be open. Both require courage. Sadie said that she can imagine when she walks into a room for an interview and people see her disability, they automatically assume she is not smart. She says she has to fight off the same assumptions when she meets someone who is different. The way to correct for this is to take the time to get to know the person. Sometimes you just don’t want to take the time; you are busy or simply do not want to make the effort. It is important, however. Curiosity is how you can balance power. Sadie remembers a person who refused to answer her curious questions and she realized that is how that person could maintain power. People in power may not take the time to be curious about others because of that power dynamic. Other people may have a lot to say and have some highly intelligent observations. This can be a threat to someone in power. Curiosity gives voice and power to the others.
Sadie’s view of the play is that it is a story of her “finding her gender.” It is about discovering who she is and how she fits in the world. She created the fictional Highlander character to allow her to be as creative as possible with the person inner person she was toying with. Sadie described her experiences growing up. She wore braces to help her with mobility through age 10. She attended Burke Barton Academy and Graded School through grade five. She had personalized instruction and there were a lot of people who treated her well. She was treated quite respectfully and she says that when you were raised with respect, you will not accept anything that falls short of that respect. Even though she had supportive parents, getting the validation that she was intelligent from outside the family reinforced her confidence.
This support was extremely important as a disabled person because she would occasionally have teachers who would scold her for not being like other children. One teacher’s scolding she will never forget were related to the random occurrences where Sadie would awkwardly trip over nothing. Sadie did not know why this was happening. Because of this happened with the teacher a number of times, the teacher called her “stupid” in front of her classmates. The teacher loved to call her stupid. Sadie heard her talking on the phone and saying how stupid Sadie was. Towards the end of one week when Sadie was having trouble walking, the teacher ordered Sadie in front of the class, grabbed Sadie by the collar, yanked her around to face the class, and stated, “don’t be like Sadie, she is slow and she is disrespectful.”
That same teacher told the elementary class that they needed to learn how to take notes. The teacher was moving along too fast for Sadie’s physical capacity to keep up. Sadie asked her to slow down a bit. That teacher told her, “no, you have to learn how to keep up.” The teacher kept her from recess one day and sent her home with a school chair because the teacher did not like how Sadie pushed it in with her disabled body.
Even though this is only one person, the memory is deep. The teacher’s insensitivity to Sadie at such a tender age was extremely cruel. Beyond that negative experience, Sadie progressed well. She appeared socially awkward and she struggled with spatial awareness and math. However, adults recognized her as being very articulate. In middle school she was treated quite well. She enjoyed her activities except for the occasional school trips, which were difficult for her. The pace and the jerking around of her body was difficult and painful for her. These trips were a struggle however she wanted to learn as much as she could.
She remembers one particpular trip. Each year, 8th graders celebrate graduating with a special trip. This excursion was one where the school was gifted a rafting trip. That was too much. Getting bounced around would be overly painful and she would be in a panic from the dangers she faced. Her always supportive twin sister Lauren said she would stay behind as well. Other teachers pushed Lauren to go and not stay behind with Sadie. Lauren refused to back down.
They went on their own trip. Sadie knew there was money on the line. However there were others who had disabilities who were also not accomodated. This trip was not about inclusion. Sadie began to explain the genesis for her play. Since she was eight years old she has been explaining to people what Cerebral Palsy is. That vulnerability about herself has aged her in a mostly positive way. However at a point later in life, she became overwhelmed.
This play comes from a “very exhausted young person.” People ask her how she could have come up with something so creative? She was angry and “ready to pop. Ready to punch someone. She needed to do something with her frustration at this low point, so she wrote the play. The play came from a lot of fatigue. She was working with “the lovely Bess O’brien.” Bess is a noted playwright and film maker in Vermont. She was exhausted from working so hard and so many hours. She was not Sadie, she was this “bag of flesh.” She was not even human, just a walking manifestation of this disabled body. It was a new level she had not experienced before. Sadie wanted to be a performer and was just working too hard. However, the joy of performing was worthwhile to Sadie. She want to, and expects to work hard when given the privilege to perform.
When Sadie was little and she discovered her singing voice. She used to imagine that she could sing so beautifully that people would not notice her disability. You would be so transfixed by her voice that even though the disability was there, you could not think about it. That is where the idea for the Siren came from. She did not want to be a princess, or a damsel in distress. She knew what she wanted and was going for a strong woman.
She was sitting in her dormitory and was so tired. She began to sing classical music to cope. It was the first time she sat down in six hours. She started to visualize this beautiful Celtic landscape where she was sitting in a pretty white dress. She is sitting by a river and singing. She notices this really handsome guy, so pretty, just listening to her voice. He wasn’t from her time, he was from a different time. She got up and walked toward him. She swayed her hips and flirted. She talked in metaphor. She did not hide her disability, because there was no negative culture there. It was not necessary to hide. There she was a real person, with all the rights to person hood. Why would she want to rob someone of that very important part of herself? Who she is, and how she lives in the world?
The reason the SIren existed is so Sadie can see herself knowing she did not experience symptoms of cerebral palsy. Because the SIren does not have restrictions, it is easy for the Siren to talk in metaphors about disability.
This man did not have a need to know this information. He is attracted to the beauty of her voice. This was so freeing for her, “like taking off a heavy backpack.” She could be who she really is. The Siren is definitely a part of her. With him she could be this witty person, this woman of the world, this beautiful singer and not have these neurological hang-ups that are part of our world.
One of the points of the play is that you cannot really be completely happy with something that gets in the way. She is very proud of the woman she is, however her definition of femininity had to evolve and change. Meanwhile, she sometimes feels like she is being shadowed by a dark cloud, “really, you made a woman like this? Look at the way I am holding my hands right now. I have gashes in the tips of my shoes because of how I walk. I have a lazy eye. I can’t move my hips. All that, yet, I am very proud to be a disabled woman.”
Sadie went on to say, “I think there is a huge difference between frustration and anger. Is it frustrating? Yes, absolutely. Does it anger me? No. It hasn’t in a long time. Every time I get frustrated, I almost get happy. Not in the literal sense. I look at that frustration as an opportunity to grow and expand. I put it in my pocket and can use it in my next monologue, or my next assignment, or the next conflict I have with someone where it can give me more empathy because I can imagine how frustrated they must be. It all comes together to make me who I am. How dare I say it bugs me! It would be like putting my middle finger to the universe. I think everyone was designed with intention and I was designed to live with Cerebral Palsy. This is who I was meant to be. People ask me all the time, “do you wish you were born differently? I answer back with, “do you wish you were born differently?”
Sadie says when people think she should be born differently that they are really asking that about themselves. Does she get still get occasionally frustrated with her symptoms. Yes, however she reminds herself how grateful she is that she gets to wake up every day as Sadie. She is proud that she turned something challenging into something beautiful. Sadie says, “when you accept your identity, you become self-aware. Once you are self-aware, you are interested in seeing the best of you and, you should see the best in you. Being self- aware as a disabled person means acknowledging that there will always be physical challenges. Fully taking that on as a part of your identity actually makes it easier to live a full life outside of your disability. If I wanted to make life easy and live within the bounds of my disability I could not be the person I am now. I could take a reduced course load, not participate in my vocal activities. All these would be valid and accepted. However, for me, I have to constantly tease the undeveloped part of my brain in order to live fully.”
I asked Sadie why are people threatened by your disability? She responded that, “people outside of my situation might believe that the extra cushy care she receives is unjust. She knows that there is nothing cushy about being in a marginalized community.” She referred to a situation where she was getting typing help and a person mentioned that she should not get special treatment. She responded that she was not getting special treatment. She was getting what she needed to learn what she had to learn.
Accommodations are not about special treatment. They are about providing the person with what they need to participate equally in what is happening. She appreciates that her theater accommodates her through their choreography. It allows her to dance. Yes, the accommodations are extra work. But why not? She knows she has to work harder, but what is wrong with including everyone? Those that are threatened are really threatened about the idea of including others. This accommodation is an acknowledgment that skills and intelligence does not come from physical prowess. For some, their skills do come from physical prowess. That is fine if that is who you truly are. For some, they are threatened by the redefinition of what an intelligent person is, what a physically capable person is, or what a competent person is. It is becoming more nuanced.
Sadie says the more she can be accommodated, the more she can control her own narrative. Some people do not like that. She is willing to take the time and have conversations with people to help them understand. People can assume that “the lights are not on” when they see her for the first time. Having those discussions with people before they form their assumptions is her way of controlling the narrative. Everyone, regardless of their ability, deserves that. Sadie went on to say, “when someone is frustrated that I am moving too slow for them and I have the time. I take the time to explain the full details of how Cerebral Palsy affects my movement. I get to control the narrative before their imagination takes over.” It is situational. When she has a public safety officer come up to her because they think she is under the influence, she simply responds she is okay. However, children, and sometimes along with their parents are quite interested. The parents will sometimes try to distract the child, however Sadie seizes the moment. Parent and child are often genuinely appreciative. Why would you rob someone the opportunity to grow? It helps to eliminate bias and also shows that curiosity is not upsetting and can be rewarding.
This was the end of the interview. For me, this interview goes beyond the discussion of disability. I have learned that most people are running around with some level of disability, Most of the time it is not visible because it is in the mind. The lessons from Sadie can be applied universally. I found this interview to be incredibly illuminating. If you get a chance to see Sadie’s play, A Taste of Freedom, I can guarantee you will be moved.
Deportation as a tool for fascism
It all begins with an idea.
From the Double Deportation -
On 8 September 1943, the date of the Italian armistice, there were thousands of foreign citizens interned in concentration camps or held in fascist prisons in Italy.
We do not know their exact number but we know that most of them came from the occupied or annexed territories of Yugoslavia (Slovenia and Croatia). Montenegrins, Greeks and Albanians were also present, though in smaller numbers.
The internment and deportation of civilians constituted, along with burning down villages and death by firing squad, the main forms of violent repression used by the Italian authorities against the population of the occupied countries.
Men and women suspected of belonging to partisan bands, or even of nurturing anti-Italian sentiments, were deported to concentration camps in Italy. On some occasions, all those individuals belonging to a particular category were deported, as in the case of the students and teachers from Ljubljana or Novo Mesto.
Even the inhabitants of those villages which had been set on fire during reprisals ended up being interned and deported, as did "relatives of the rebels", that is, all close relatives - including the elderly and children - of a man or woman who had left home without a valid reason and was therefore suspected of having joined the partisans.
In Italian prisons there were also many deported civilians who had been condemned by military war tribunals on charges such as committing hostile acts against the Royal Army, or again, of belonging to "armed gangs".
With the fall of fascism, on 25 July 1943, none of these people were freed from imprisonment or internment.
Indeed, during the 45 days of the Badoglio government no stop was put either to the transfer of internees from southern Italy to the safer concentration camps in the centre-north ahead of the Allied advance, or to arrests and deportations; this was particularly true in the case of Slovenes from the province of Trieste.
Where some some concentration camps were concerned, for example Cairo Montenotte and Renicci di Anghiari, the deportees were not allowed to escape even after 8 September. Not a single foreign political prisoner was released from gaol.
It was due this behaviour on the part of the Italians following 8 September 1943 that a large number of internees and political prisoners fell into in German hands; as a consequence they were subjected to a second deportation, on this occasion from Italy to Nazi concentration camps, where they were exploited as forced labourers.
Andrea Giuseppini (2018)
Know how the Brain Works
Knowing you your brain works is important for two key reasons; 1) you will improve your ability to understand your personal mechanics, and 2) you will be much more effective and making positive change.
It's widely recognized that a significant portion of our brain's resources is dedicated to monitoring for threats, a remnant from our evolutionary past. This vigilance was crucial for survival in environments filled with predators.
When faced with danger, the body activates the "fight or flight" response, which involves redirecting blood flow from the brain to the muscles, preparing the body for immediate action. This physiological response can impair logical thinking, as the limbic brain, which is responsible for emotional responses, reacts five times faster than the thinking brain (prefrontal cortex which governs reasoning ). This rapid response is crucial for survival, as it enables instinctive actions before rational thought can process the situation. An easy way to think about this is that when we respond to fear we get stupid (the blood leaves our brain). You can be most effective when you remain centered.
The eyes have a direct connection to the limbic brain, which allows for faster processing of visual information. This connection enables quicker responses to visual stimuli, which is essential for survival. Visual signals from the eyes are relayed to the limbic system almost immediately, allowing for rapid emotional reactions to what we see. This quick response is crucial for detecting threats in our environment, enabling immediate action without waiting for the slower, more deliberate processing by the thinking brain. Because of this direct connection, visual cues can trigger strong emotional responses, influencing our behavior and decision-making processes more than other senses might.This was useful in the past as a survival Mechanism.
This discrepancy in response times explains why fear can often overpower logic, leading to decisions driven by emotion rather than reason. To mitigate this, techniques such as mindfulness or cognitive behavioral strategies can help individuals regain control and allow the thinking brain to engage more effectively in decision-making
Leaders and influencers can exploit this fear response to manipulate or control individuals, as fear can override rational thought, leading to quick, emotional decisions rather than logical ones. It is critically important to understand how our brains work to understand where we are in terms of our culture.
It is also critically important to discipline your brain so that you can be most effective and are not easily influenced by conspiracy theories. To counteract this instinctual response, it’s beneficial to practice mindfulness or take time to allow the rational brain to regain control. Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or cognitive reframing can help shift focus from fear to logical thinking.
Exercise is also important for effective brain function. Exercise has numerous benefits for brain function and overall cognitive effectiveness. Physical activity boosts blood circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the brain, which enhances its functioning. Regular exercise promotes the growth of new neurons (neurogenesis) and increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports learning and memory. Exercise releases endorphins and other neurotransmitters that improve mood and reduce stress, which can enhance cognitive performance and emotional well-being. Studies suggest that regular physical activity can improve various aspects of memory and learning, making it easier to acquire and retain new information. Exercise has been shown to improve attention span and concentration, helping individuals stay focused on tasks. Incorporating regular physical activity into your routine can significantly enhance brain health and cognitive function.
Life in Russia
It all begins with an idea.
While running for Governor of Vermont in 2018, a journalist from Moscow joined us and rode along for two days to understand American democracy. We were able to spend a lot of time together and share our thoughts and ideas. I wanted to know how Russia became an oligarchy. How do people put up with dictatorships? Why don’t people fight for their freedom?
She told me that most Russian citizens know that their elections are rigged and the news media is not free to state the truth, let alone state anything negative about their government. She said that everyone knows that you cannot be “out” as a member of the LGBT or religious communities. She knows that immigrants are not bad and most people really want the same basic things.
When pressed, she told me that most Russians just want to enjoy their families, go out to the clubs with their friends, be able to eat and have a roof over their head. It is too hard to fight the regime and too many people have disappeared when they fight. She wanted me to understand how important family and friends are. She said fear is a powerful tool of the Russian government.
It is now eight years later. I now understand.
Protect your state
It all begins with an idea.
I am Christine Hallquist, a proud and out transgender woman.. I am deeply concerned about the potential impact of the future leadership in our country on civil liberties, particularly for marginalized communities. Vermont has been my sanctuary, and I believe states like ours need to start preparing contingency plans now. We have a tremendous amount of work to do to protect Vermont from fascism.
While in office, the president-elect threatened to block aid to California if the state did not back his proposed water policies. He made it clear he will withhold funds from sanctuary cities. He blocked aid from Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria. He will block federal dollars to Vermont if we do not comply with his agenda. Our first order of business is to pass legislation that ensures our leaders will not surrender our state’s values when the federal government threats to withhold federal funds.
Specifically, we need to ensure that states do not compromise its values in the face of these threats. This may involve passing legislation to safeguard the state's autonomy and our values. Additionally, states should consider stockpiling abortion pills, strengthening the right to protest through new laws, proclaiming as a sanctuary state, and collaborating with other blue states to bolster our collective resistance. Joining with other states and providing strong state support for public media are also crucial steps.
In these challenging times, we can draw inspiration from stories like that of Sir Nicholas Winton, who saved children during World War 2. Watch the Documentary, One Life, where Anthony Hopkins does an excellent portrayal of the work to save 669 children from certain death in Nazi concentration camps.
I am so proud of our state and feel safe in Vermont. There are not many places in our country where this is the case. I am grateful for all those who fought before and allowed me to be the first major party transgender candidate for governor in the country. I am afraid for people who are not in Vermont and those who cannot speak for themselves. I am grateful for the opportunity to join you in our fight for civil liberties. We cannot remain silent. Silence is complicity.