text:
Electric vehicles are not just the wave of the future, they are saving lives today.
Energy and Transportation
Ten things to know about electric vehicles — and how you can make the future electric.
COURTESY OF CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION; CHUYIN / GETTY IMAGES; ADRIAN MARTINEZ / EARTHJUSTICE
Electric vehicles are an increasingly common sight on our nation's roadways — and not just personal passenger cars. Electric school buses (left), transit buses (right), and trucks are ready to hit the road.
1. Electric vehicles now include cars, transit buses, trucks of all sizes, and even big-rig tractor trailers that are at least partially powered by electricity.
Electric vehicles fall into three main categories:
Battery electric vehicles are powered by electricity stored in a battery pack.
Plug-in hybrids combine a gasoline or diesel engine with an electric motor and large rechargeable battery.
Fuel cell vehicles split electrons from hydrogen molecules to produce electricity to run the motor.
It's more than just passenger cars now — from New York to Mississippi, you may find yourself on a quiet, zipping electric transit bus. The first electric fire truck in the nation will be welcomed by Angelenos in 2021 — and in the coming years, electric sanitation trucks will be quietly gliding through neighborhoods to pick up garbage and recycling, and more electric trucks will be delivering packages from warehouses to homes, air pollution-free.
CITYOFSTPETE / CC BY-ND 2.0; DENNIS SCHROEDER / NREL
Charging up an electric car in St. Petersburg, Florida (left). An electric heavy duty truck used to move freight at the Port of Long Beach. California recently released a draft of the nation's first electric truck standard.
2. Electric vehicles are saving the climate — and our lives. Here's how.
The largest source of climate pollution in the United States? Transportation. To solve the climate crisis, we need to make the vehicles on our roads as clean as possible. We have only a decade left to change the way we use energy to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Emissions from cars and trucks are not only bad for our planet, they're bad for our health. Air pollutants from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles cause asthma, bronchitis, cancer, and premature death.
The long-term health impacts of localized air pollution last a lifetime, with the effects borne out in asthma attacks, lung damage, and heart conditions.
As the COVID-19 pandemic — a respiratory disease — continues to spread, a study by Harvard University found "a striking association between long-term exposure to harmful fine particulate matter and COVID-19 mortality in the United States," explains Rashmi Joglekar, a staff scientist at Earthjustice's Toxic Exposure & Health Program. One of the primary causes of fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) is combustion from gasoline and diesel car engines.
An earlier study by Duke University underscored the health costs: each gallon of gasoline purchased at the gas station carries with it up to $3.80 in health and environmental costs. The diesel in big rigs and farm equipment is worse, with an additional $4.80 in social costs to our health and climate per gallon.
ANDI PANTZ / GETTY IMAGES; CHRIS JORDAN-BLOCH / EARTHJUSTICE
Smog clogs the air around the 405 freeway in Los Angeles (left). A mother comforts a child receiving treatment for asthma in Southern California.
3. Electric vehicles have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline-powered cars, no matter where your electricity comes from.
The electricity that charges and fuels battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles comes from power grids, which rely on a range of sources — from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy.
Energy grids can vary from one state to another, which means that the carbon footprint of driving an electric vehicle ranges depending on the source of its electricity.
Earthjustice attorneys are working across the country to bring 100% clean energy, but on our way there (consumption of renewable energy recently surpassed coal), a portion of the electricity in this country will continue to be generated by the burning of fossil fuels.
The very good news? Because electric vehicles are more efficient in converting energy to power cars and trucks, electricity across the board is cleaner and cheaper as a fuel for vehicles, even when that electricity comes from the dirtiest grid.
Running electric or hybrid cars on the grid in any state has lower greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars, as revealed in a study by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists. And as states clean up their energy grids, the benefits of electric vehicles become stronger.
Try out their "How Clean is Your Electric Vehicle?" online tool to see how electric vehicle emissions measure up where you live — get a personalized report on how much carbon pollution you save by going electric, based on your ZIP code and electric vehicle make/model.
DENNIS SCHROEDER / NREL; THOMAS BARWICK / GETTY IMAGES
An electric hybrid heavy duty truck, used to move freight at the Port of Long Beach in California, is plugged in to charge (left). Charging an electric car at home before a family trip in Washington state.
4. Through their entire lifetime, electric cars are better for the climate.
In the manufacturing process, electric vehicles will produce more global warming emissions than the average gasoline vehicle, because electric cars' large lithium-ion batteries require a lot of materials and energy to build. (For example, manufacturing a mid-sized electric car with an 84-mile range, results in 15% more emissions.)
However, once the vehicles get on the road, it's a whole different energy story.
Electric vehicles make up for their higher manufacturing emissions within, at most, eighteen months of driving — and continue to outperform gasoline cars until the end of their lives
The average electric car on the road today has the same greenhouse-gas emissions as a car getting 88 miles per gallon — which is far greater than the average new gasoline-powered car (31 mpg) or truck (21 mpg), according to analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
MECKY / GETTY IMAGES
Driving an electric car in the Holland Tunnel in New York City. Because electric vehicles are more efficient in converting energy to power cars and trucks, electricity across the board is cleaner and cheaper as a fuel for vehicles, even when that electricity comes from the dirtiest grid.
5. Electric vehicles can charge up at home, at work, while you're at the store.
One advantage of electric vehicles is that many can be recharged wherever they make their home, whether that's your home or a bus terminal. This makes electric vehicles a good solution for truck and bus fleets that return regularly to a central depot or yard.
As more electric vehicles hit the market and are used more broadly, new recharging solutions — including adding more public charging locations in shopping centers, parking garages, and workplaces — will be required for people and businesses without the same access at home.
"Having dependable charging at work let me buy a plug-in hybrid car without hesitating," Ari Weinstein, a research scientist, shared with Sara Gersen, an Earthjustice attorney and clean energy expert. Weinstein is a renter who has limited options to be able to charge at home.
"The opportunity to drive an electric car shouldn't be limited to people who own a home with a garage," explains Gersen.
"Workplace charging is one key element of democratizing access to electric cars, and we need to move aggressively if we are going to meet this challenge. Electric utilities have a big role to play."
SARA GERSEN / EARTHJUSTICE
Electric car drivers Stephanie Tiffany, Shanying Cui, and Ari Weinstein (left to right) purchased their vehicles after their workplace in Southern California installed charging stations. Read their stories.
6. Planning now by states and utilities to build infrastructure for charging electric vehicles will go a long way.
Figuring out how to charge these vehicles will become an increasingly important problem to tackle.
Utilities in California are investing more than $1 billion to build the charging infrastructure necessary for electric cars, trucks, and buses throughout the state. These kinds of infrastructure investments will become increasingly important for public transit agencies, businesses, and people who want to purchase an electric car but are unable to install a charger at home.
"The federal government isn't working on a national solution for charging the country's electric vehicles," explains Adrian Martinez, a staff attorney at Earthjustice's Right to Zero campaign, who has advocated for electrification infrastructure in California, "which means that it's up to each state to take a hard look at its grid and figure out an electric vehicle charging plan for its turf."
RYAN OZAWA / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; MYRTLE BEACH, THEDIGITEL / CC BY 2.0
Charging stations outside of stores in Mililani, Hawaii (left). Electric vehicles charging in Crosswinds, S.C.
7. Transit buses, that reliable fixture rumbling through our towns and cities, may just be the key to the electric vehicle revolution.
Buses are the workhorse of our transit system, providing affordable transportation to anyone and everyone. They are a cornerstone of daily life in many cities, making them an important step to getting big electric vehicles into the broader transportation market.
A huge leap forward came when, together with a coalition of labor, environmental and public transit activists, we successfully pushed Los Angeles Metro to invest in a full fleet of zero-emissions electric buses — and then secured a commitment from the state of California to commit to a 100% electric transit bus fleet in the next decade.
By 2040, every bus you ride on or wave to in California will be a quiet, clean electric bus.
COURTESY OF BUILD YOUR DREAMS; ADRIAN MARTINEZ / EARTHJUSTICE
Technicians assemble an electric transit bus at a Build Your Dreams facility (left). Electric transit buses in Los Angeles.
PALOMA / YOUTUBE
Take a ride on an electric bus in the foothills of Los Angeles. In the still image above, the bus receives a quick-charge at a docking station in the Pomona Transit Center.
8. Electric trucks — delivering goods from warehouses to homes — can make a big, clean difference. We need more of them.
While diesel and gas trucks only make up a small portion of the vehicles on our roads and highways, they generate massive amounts of climate and air pollution. In the most impacted communities, these trucks create diesel "death zones" with more severe respiratory and heart problems.
In California, gas and diesel trucks are responsible for nearly half of the transportation-related air pollution in the state, even though they are vastly outnumbered by cars in the state.
Today, there are 70 different types of zero-emission trucks on the market, and California in particular has become an important base for designing and manufacturing big electric vehicles like buses with companies like Proterra and Build Your Dreams in the state.
It is now time for major manufacturers to start producing electric trucks on a larger scale. Communities across California are fighting for a strong electric trucks rule — the first protection of its kind in the country — to require truck makers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emission trucks starting in 2024.
Because of California's market power, this rule will help jumpstart a transition to electric trucks in other states.
SHYCITYNXR / CC BY 2.0; DENNIS SCHROEDER / NREL
An electric FedEx delivery truck makes deliveries in Illinois (left). Heavy duty zero-emissions truck at the Port of Long Beach, Calif.
Sasan@sasan_saadat
Replying to @sasan_saadat
Worried these stronger regs will be a problem with the shape of our economy? Don't. The Proposed Modifications result in positive job impacts.
And because ZEV trucks are cheaper to fuel and operate than diesel trucks, the stronger rule has *greater* economic savings.
9:04 PM – Apr 28, 2020
See Sasan's other Tweets
CCAEJ@CCAEJ
Community Organizer Veronica Roman: "We are not asking. We're demanding the right to cleaner air. We want #ElectricTrucksNow."
6:49 PM – Dec 12, 2019
See CCAEJ's other Tweets
9. Through all our electric vehicle work, Earthjustice aims to ensure that the people who are most impacted by pollution have the option to use truly clean and zero-emissions vehicles.
"If we're going to have a real shot at stemming the impact of the climate crisis," explains Athena Motavvef, Earthjustice's associate legislative representative in Washington, D.C., "we need to ditch fossil fuels, pivot to 100% clean energy, and achieve zero emissions. Making electric vehicles accessible to all people is an important step towards that goal."
In February, Earthjustice endorsed the Electric Vehicle Freedom Act, introduced by Representatives Andy Levin (D-MI) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The bill proposes establishing a network of electric charging stations alongside public roads, to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles by the wider public.
WHAT IS "ZERO EMISSIONS"? Zero emissions means that a vehicle emits no pollutants to disrupt the climate or dirty our air.
It's a broader category that describes electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, and other emerging types of technology.
In simple terms, zero emissions means technology that doesn't rely on combustion to power vehicles.
Meanwhile, Earthjustice attorneys are working to help our nation's transportation sector transition away from gasoline combustion to zero emissions, including:
Electric Trucks: We've been working to increase the number of electric trucks in California — together with 20,000 residents, we asked the California Air Resources Board to enact the nation's first electric truck manufacturing standard.
Charging Infrastructure: And Earthjustice is working with the Public Utilities Commission in California and other states to build more charging infrastructure. This would relieve one of the biggest barriers to having an all-electric vehicle for those who do not have a garage or a driveway, through either workplace charging, or centralized electric vehicle fast charging.
Zero-Emissions Vehicles: We're in court defending the ZEV mandate, which is essentially the California state mandate that a certain percentage of vehicle purchases in the state be zero emissions. Ten states have adopted the ZEV mandate through California's special legal authority in the Clean Air Act.
States that have adopted California's stronger greenhouse gas standards, and zero emissions vehicle standards.
DATA SOURCE: CLEAN CARS CAMPAIGN; STATE OF COLORADO; COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA; CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD
"The Trump administration is trying to protect the oil and gas industry by slowing the transition to electric vehicles," said Earthjustice attorney Adrian Martinez of the Right to Zero campaign.
"Fortunately, there's a lot of opportunity at the local level to bring electric transportation into communities because inherently, a lot of the decisions are local. It's city councils, it's mayors, it's state legislatures that are making these decisions."
And it's you.
10. You can help make the future electric (even if you're car-free).
From cars to buses to trucks, electric vehicles are transforming how we move goods and ourselves, cleaning up our air and climate — and your voice can help advance the electric wave.
Urge your city to invest in electric buses, trucks, and charging infrastructure. Speak with your local elected officials and write letters-to-the-editors (see tips).
If you (or your friends) are in the market for a car, buy electric. Check if your local utility offers rebates or other incentives for installing electric vehicle charging stations at your home.
Enlighten your friends. Share the amazing electric facts you've learned. Encourage your friends to find out how much carbon pollution they could save by going electric.
Subscribe to Earthjustice emails. We only send you the best.
Follow on Twitter Earthjustice's @RightToZero campaign and the Right to Zero team for the latest news on the shift to zero-emissions. We won't just imagine a zero-emissions future. We will live it.
Source: Earth Justice
Dialogue on Global Systems Change
Recent advances in artificial intelligence contribute to nuclear risk
This paper compares job creation per dollar from various types of green investments vs. unsustainable investments. It also explores how to promote good jobs that have fair wages, job security, opportunities for career growth, safe working conditions, and are accessible for all.
Source: World Resource Institute
Joel Jaeger, Ginette Walls, Ella Clarke, Juan-Carlos Altamirano, Arya Harsono, Helen Mountford, Sharan Burrow, Samantha Smith and Alison Tate
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of jobs to be lost globally and has exacerbated inequality. At the same time, addressing climate change is an urgent challenge. Too many governments have funneled money to unsustainable sectors as part of their COVID-19 recovery efforts even though this is not the best job creator and will exacerbate climate change.
This analysis of studies from around the world finds that green investments generally create more jobs per US$1 million than unsustainable investments. It compares near-term job creation effects from clean energy vs. fossil fuels, public transportation vs. roads, electric vehicles vs. internal combustion engine vehicles, and nature-based solutions vs. oil and gas production.
For example, on average:
Investing in solar PV creates 1.5 times as many jobs as fossil fuels per $1 million.
Building efficiency creates 2.8 times as many jobs as fossil fuels per $1 million.
Mass transit creates 1.4 times as many jobs as road construction per $1 million.
Ecosystem restoration creates 3.7 times as many jobs as oil & gas production per $1 million.
The paper also explores job quality in green sectors. In developing countries, green jobs can offer good wages when they are formal, but too many are informal and temporary, limiting access to work security, safety and social protections. In developed countries, new green jobs can provide avenues to the middle class, but may have wages and benefits that aren't as high as those in traditional sectors where, in many cases, workers have been able to fight for job quality through decades of collective action.
Government investment should come with conditions that ensure fair wages and benefits, work security, safe working conditions, opportunities for training and advancement, the right to organize, and accessibility to all.
This paper is jointly published by WRI, the International Trade Union Confederation, and New Climate Economy.
"If there is gas collusion in Chile, then distribution should be done by a public company": Sector workers
Chile. "If there is gas collusion, then distribution should be done by a public company": Sector workers
10.10.21 – Santiago de Chile – Redacción Chile
Patricio Tapia and Solange Bustos (Image by Andrés Figueroa Cornejo)
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), as well as Natural Gas (NG) is imported to Chile mainly from Argentina and the United States through the sea. It arrives in the country at two regasification plants: the one in Quintero and the one in Mejillones, where it is processed and introduced into cylinders for domestic consumption. However, only three companies monopolise gas distribution, of which Metrogas, owned by Gasco S.A., has more than half of the market.
By Andrés Figueroa Cornejo
After recently issuing a study of high social impact, the Economic Prosecutor's Office (FNE) detected serious irregularities in the gas distribution industry, among whose assertions is that the retail price of each cylinder of liquefied gas should be 15% lower than the current one, and the price of natural gas paid by Metrogas users should be 20% cheaper.
The National Economic Prosecutor, Ricardo Riesco, said, "This study confirms that the gas market is not sufficiently competitive and our recommendations seek to change this situation as soon as possible for the benefit of consumers, because we are convinced that prices can be significantly lower in the future if regulation is adjusted".
The Preliminary Report of its sixth Market Study, where the FNE addressed the gas market in Chile in the period between 2010 and 2020, focused on the social groups that use liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas.
To develop the study, the FNE collected unpublished data on the gas market in the country and was advised by academics Juan Pablo Montero, from the Catholic University of Chile, and Eduardo Saavedra, from the Alberto Hurtado University, as well as Oxford University economist Christopher Decker.
The FNE calculated that, due to the concentration of the LPG market, private wholesale distributors of this energy increased their annual profits by up to 55% more than those obtained in 2014, which is equivalent to US$ 261 million "extra" annual profits.
On the other hand, the Prosecutor's Office detected that an exception contained in the last reform to the Gas Services Law, in June 2017, allowed Metrogas, through Agesa, a company not subject to regulation, to increase the price of its NG distribution service to consumers.
This resulted, since February 2017, in an increase of up to 20% in the price of residential natural gas paid by Metrogas customers, equivalent to US$ 87 million per year.
The case of Gasco S.A.
The Gasco corporation, harshly treated by the National Economic Prosecutor's Office along with Lipigas and Abastible, and company that takes the majority share of the business, said that the proposal of the entity, "could end up seriously damaging the quality of service and also the price of gas in the country", without offering any explanation of how and why it shot up prices.
On the other hand, Patricio Tapia Gómez and Solange Bustos, leaders of the Sindicato Nacional Interempresa de Trabajadores del Gas, were the ones who led the 21-day strike of the Gasco LPG Workers' Union, from 19 December 2017 to 8 January 2018. It was a historic strike because it was the first and only one so far in the more than 160 years of existence of the company.
The president of the company, then and now, is Matías Pérez Cruz, a staunch pinochetista, anti-unionist, fan of the neo-fascist presidential candidate José Antonio Kast, and who became infamous on 6 February 2019 when a video went viral showing him expelling three women in an arrogant and violent manner from what he called "his garden", on the shores of Lake Ranco.
Now, the leaders pointed out that, "Unlike the state's public health system, when a person stops paying the gas bill, the company immediately shuts off the supply. What happens then? When private gas corporations cut off the gas for non-payment, they simply cease to be "strategic companies". In other words, they lose their status as an "essential company" that provides a "basic service of public utility". Where the market rules, there are no more "strategic basic services", because in the case of gas, it is a product that only those who have the means to buy it can buy. Its supply is not guaranteed as a social right. Moreover, if someone cannot buy gas from a private company "A", they can buy it from company "B", because in Chile there is supposed to be free competition".
Patricio Tapia and Solange Bustos, who come from Gasco, explained that, "Gasco is divided into two companies: Gasco S.A., which corresponds to the administrative body, and Gasco GLP, which is the operational or production part. Chile lacks its own gas to supply the domestic market. The productive part is the workers who mix the raw materials coming from abroad via ships arriving at the Quintero plant, fill the cylinders with this mixture, and distribute the cylinders to customers in trucks and vehicles. The cost of the gas that arrives at the port in frozen form, Gasco S.A. buys at a price infinitely lower than the gas it then sells to other firms and to consumers in general".
The union representatives, given the situation of the collusion of gas prices, which operates as a true monopoly, indicated that they are preparing a proposal at the national level, "where they seriously study and according to the criteria of basic services as social rights, the establishment of a public company in the area that transfers specialised workers who today work for private companies in terrible conditions, to this eventual public industry; and that representatives of users' committees, who can be elected and revocable, supervise any possible irregularities that may arise, always under the principle of the common good".
Likewise, the leaders expressed that the Gasco company is a scandalous part of the gas collusion, as made visible by the investigation carried out by the FNE, exposing the illegal and fraudulent ways it uses to obtain its multi-million profits at the expense of the social majorities and consumers, in the midst of an unprecedented economic, social and health crisis. Likewise, the company headed by Pérez Cruz has made a large part of its profits by exploiting workers and systematically destroying trade union organisation, they said.
Tapia and Bustos said that after their historic strike, and as an exemplary punishment, the company took away the most important benefits they had won, such as "the Gas Workers' Welfare Corporation (Cobegas), which had two funds: a pension fund that granted former employees a pension complementary to the legal pension, and a Medical Service Fund that functioned as Medical Insurance, which was not conditioned by pre-existing conditions, was not deductible and to which retirees could belong until their death and their widows could continue with the insurance". They added that, "today, members who are Gasco workers are obliged to join the company's complementary insurance, which does have deductibles and age limits, and some of its coverage is lower, and retirees cannot belong to it. The president of Cobegas, Lorena Matamala, who is a leader of Gasco's Union 3, personally called on workers to switch to the company's health insurance in order to exterminate Cobegas' insurance. Both insurances were financed by a contribution from the company and a contribution from the worker-member. For example, the company contributed 1.4% of the taxable remuneration to the health insurance. All of this ended.
"Gasco's anti-union practices add up to a whole chapter of infamy against the interests of the workers", the leaders declared.
Source: Pressenza
Greens leader slams Green infighting
By Joan Bryden,
Published September
The former leader of the Green party in British Columbia has endorsed the federal Liberals' plan for combatting climate change.
Andrew Weaver says the Liberal plan is "both bold and thoughtful" and is the only credible plan put forward by any federal party.
The endorsement is another blow for federal Green Leader Annamie Paul, who has struggled with internecine feuding and a lack of financial resources to run a national campaign.
By Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press, Published September
Paul admitted earlier this week that the party will not field a full slate of 338 candidates across the country.
She's not commenting directly on Weaver's endorsement but insists the Liberal climate plan is "smoke and mirrors."
Weaver posted his video endorsement of the Liberal climate plan on social media Thursday; it was eagerly circulated by Liberals, including Leader Justin Trudeau, who made much of the fact that Weaver is a climate scientist.
In the video, Weaver lauds the Liberal plan for including, among other measures, "a world-leading price on carbon pollution" and rapid zero-emissions vehicle deployment "which is even strong policy that one we developed here in B.C."
"This is a plan that reflects the urgency and scale of the crisis," he says.
"I'm extremely impressed at how ambitious the Liberal Party of Canada's plan is and I'm confident that this is the right path for Canada."
Trudeau retweeted Weaver's video, saying it "means a lot" given all he's accomplished as a climate scientist and former Green leader in B.C.
Before joining the B.C. legislature in 2013, Weaver was the Canada Research Chair in climate modelling and analysis at the University of Victoria and a lead author on several United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientific assessments. He didn't run for re-election last year.
At a news conference Thursday in the Toronto Centre riding where she's trying for the third time to win a seat for herself in the House of Commons, Paul said she hadn't seen Weaver's video and couldn't comment on it.
But she argued that even if the Liberals were to implement every measure in their climate plan, Canada would not meet the Liberals' original target to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, much less their new, more ambitious target of 40 to 45 per cent.
"The fact of the matter is that you cannot continue to build new pipelines like TMX, support other pipeline projects like Coastal GasLink, greenlight project after project for new oil and gas exploration, continue to support fracking of gas in this country and continue to support the fossil fuel industry to the tune of billions of dollars and hope to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," she said.
Paul muddled her message, however, misspeaking as she declared: "If you want a real plan the only option in this election for you is the Liberals."
Weaver stressed in an interview that he's not endorsing the Liberal party per se, he's endorsing the Liberal climate plan which he called "first rate" and "absolutely exceptional."
"I've always been focused on policy, not partisanship," he said.
Weaver said he hopes Paul wins a seat and believes she's "the best thing to happen" to the federal Green party. But he said he doesn't believe her party grasps the seriousness of the climate crisis.
"The federal Greens do not have a climate plan, to be perfectly blunt," Weaver said.
"If the federal Greens truly believe that climate change was the defining issue of our time then they wouldn't be imploding over infighting over views of a Mideast crisis for which nobody really cares what the views of one or two MPs in a Canadian Parliament are," he added.
In June, Fredericton Green MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals after criticizing Paul's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That triggered weeks of infighting and attempts by the party's executive to put Paul's leadership to a confidence vote by grassroots members.
Source: The Globe and Mail, Canada


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Susan Ivanova est un personnage de la série de science-fiction Babylon 5, qui est incarnée par l'actrice Claudia Christian. Dans la série elle est commandant en second de la station Babylon 5 de la saison 1 à la saison 4. .

Le personnage

Profil
Le personnage de Susan Ivanova apparaît comme une femme de caractère, comme plusieurs des personnages féminins créés par Joe Michael Straczynski : Delenn, Lyta Alexander dans Babylon 5, Dureena dans 2267, ultime croisade ou Theo dans Jeremiah.

Elle a de profondes faiblesses personnelles dues à la perte de nombreux personnes proches : les membres de sa famille, la télépathe Talia Winters, le ranger Marcus Cole. L'esquisse de relation entre Susan Ivanova et Talia Winters permit à Straczynski de présenter une relation homosexuelle.

Le départ de la série
Le départ de l'actrice de la série à la fin de la quatrième saison a été causé par de difficiles négociations de contrat et des malentendus entre la production et l'actrice qui souhaitait avoir plus de temps pour pouvoir travailler un rôle au cinéma. Cependant, lors des dernières étapes de la négociation, elle a demandé à être payé autant tout en tournant moins d'épisodes. En conséquence de son départ, l'intrigue amoureuse autour de Byron et celle sur la crise des télépathes humains a été reportée par Straczynski sur le personnage de Lyta Alexander.

Le personnage d'Ivanova apparaît dans le dernier épisode de la cinquième saison (et de la série) car « l'Aube au crépuscule » fut tournée à la fin de la quatrième saison en raison des craintes de l'arrêt de la série. Il fut remplacé à la fin de la saison 4 par « l'Effondrement d'un mythe » joué avec la distribution de la saison 5, donc sans Claudia Christian.

Biographie fictive

Le personnage Susan Ivanova  est née le  à Saint-Pétersbourg dans le Consortium russe, un des pays membre de l'Alliance terrienne. La saison 1 la présente comme la fille de Sophie et Andei Ivanov, de confession juive. En 2244, Sophie se suicida pour ne plus prendre les médicaments pour annihiler ses pouvoirs de télépathe. L'année suivante, son frère, Ganya, mourut au combat pendant la guerre Terre-Minbari alors qu'il s'était engagé contre l'avis de son père. En 2247, elle s'engagea dans les Forces armées terriennes. Dans le téléfilm Au Commencement (In the Beginning) qui constitue la préquelle de la série, Susan Ivanova après un séjour à l'école d'officier, sert sous les ordres de John Sheridan sur la base de Io.

Commandement sur Babylon 5
Lieutenant-commandant, elle est appelée pour remplacer Laurel Takashima comme officier en second de la station diplomatique et commerciale Babylon 5, sous les ordres du commandant Jeffrey Sinclair dans la saison 1, puis du capitaine John Sheridan à partir de la saison 2. Elle obtient le grade de commandant en 2259. Elle s'engage aux côtés de Sheridan et Delenn dans la guerre contre les Ombres et dans la lutte contre la politique du président Clark.

Dans la saison 4, au cours d'une bataille contre de nouveaux vaisseaux terriens fidèles à Clark et basé sur la technologie des Ombres, elle est grièvement blessée lorsque son vaisseau de l'Étoile Blanche entre en collision avec un débris. Elle doit son salut au sacrifice du Ranger Marcus Cole. Dans la saison 5 Ivanova est remplacée à la tête de la station par le capitaine Elizabeth Lochley. À la suite de la mort de Marcus, elle décide de quitter Babylon 5, et commande un croiseur de combat de la nouvelle classe Warlock. Dans sa nouvelle Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic située en 2281, Joe Michael Straczynski fait de son personnage le chef de l'Anla'shok, force de maintien de la paix de l'Alliance interstellaire.

Apparitions
 Téléfilm Au Commencement (In the Beginning).
 Saison 1 à 4 de la série.
 Saison 5 L'Aube au crépuscule, dernier épisode de la série.
 Space, Time and the Incurable Romantic nouvelle de Joe Michael Straczynski.

Ivanova, Susan
Ivanova, Susan
Lesbienne de fiction
Ivanova, Susan
Ivanova, Susan
Personnage LGBT de série télévisée

ru:Список персонажей телесериала «Вавилон-5»#Сьюзен Иванова

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Arkansas governor extols opening of first mental-crisis unit
by Dave Hughes | March 1, 2018 at 4:30 a.m.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson talks during a press conference at the state Capitol in this photo.
FORT SMITH -- Arkansas' first crisis stabilization unit opened Wednesday with officials from across the state praising it for serving the needs of the mentally ill in western Arkansas and pointing to it as a template other states can follow.
The center is the first of four crisis stabilization units that have been authorized as a pilot program to be developed in Arkansas. Other units are planned in Pulaski, Craighead and Washington counties, with the state allocating $1.6 million for each.
"It is exciting to see that Arkansas is doing something that other states will look at and learn from, adapt, and we will lead," Gov. Asa Hutchinson told about 300 people gathered at the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center. "This is important for our nation."
Hutchinson told the crowd that the problem of mental illness was discussed last weekend during a governors conference he attended in Washington, D.C. The discussion was related to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead.
Hutchinson said attendees at the White House meeting were at a loss about what to do.
"We have done something," Hutchinson said Wednesday. "We have done something in this community to start addressing those in crisis, those that are suffering from a crisis circumstance from mental health."
The 16-bed unit on the center grounds will be used to temporarily treat and stabilize people undergoing mental crises and whose only alternative until Wednesday was to be put in jail. As part of the diversion concept, law enforcement officers are being trained to recognize and deal with people showing behavioral problems because of mental illness.
The guidance center will provide for the medical and psychiatric needs of patients while they stay in the unit. A person is expected to spend 72 hours in the unit to stabilize his condition.
The unit has dormitory-style bedrooms; a central living space with sofas, easy chairs and tables; a kitchen; an attendants work area; and offices.
It will serve Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Polk, Scott and Sebastian counties.
Not only will the unit serve the needs of the mentally ill and give them a chance to regain control of their lives, but it will also help reduce crowding in the county jail, reduce court caseloads and recidivism, and relieve the tax burden on residents, Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck said.
"The opening of our crisis stabilization unit now gives us the ability to take care of our brothers and sisters who have mental health issues through no fault of their own," he said.
The guidance center is partnering with Sebastian County on what is being called the Sebastian County Five West Crisis Stabilization Unit. Guidance center CEO Rusti Holwick said the "Five" in the title was an acknowledgment of the efforts by Hollenbeck, Sebastian County Circuit Judge Annie Hendricks, County Judge David Hudson, Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Shue and former guidance center CEO Jim West to develop the unit.
Hudson said county, city, hospital, treatment and other entities have worked for years with others in the state to develop the stabilization unit program.
"Perhaps it is appropriate that Sebastian County is the first of the four pilot counties in our state to open a crisis stabilization unit," he said.
A supporter of the creation of the units in the Arkansas Legislature, 35th District state Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, said crafting the necessary legislation for the stabilization units was difficult because of the number of interested parties and their varying concerns.
He ticked off a list of entities who had input into the legislative process, including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, sheriffs, county judges, faith-based associations, the Parole Board and state agencies.
"There were times when I didn't know whether [legislation creating the stabilization units] was going to happen," he said.
Shue said he and Hendricks believed that passage of the Criminal Justice Efficiency and Safety Act of 2017 was a positive move to equip the criminal-justice system to deal with the needs of the mentally ill.
Demolition work is underway on two pods of a juvenile detention unit in Little Rock for remodeling into Pulaski County's crisis stabilization unit. Pulaski County is partnering with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on the unit, which is scheduled to open in early May, according to County Judge Barry Hyde's office.
Officials in Washington and Craighead counties said they are still trying to acquire locations for their units.
County Judge Ed Hill of Craighead County said Quorum Court members support development of the unit but that efforts to find a site keep running into opposition.
"Everybody thinks it's a good idea, but no one wants it in their backyard," he said.
State Desk on 03/01/2018
Print Headline: Governor extols opening of first mental-crisis unit

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Die Liste der grönländischen Forschungsminister listet alle grönländischen Forschungsminister.

Einen Forschungsminister gab es erstmals explizit 1992.

Weblinks
 Landsstyre og Naalakkersuisut gennem tiderne. Opgørelse over medlemmer af Landsstyre og Naalakkersuisut fra den 7. maj 1979 til den 23. november 2021. Naalakkersuisut (archiviert).

!
Liste (grönländische Minister)
Gronland


text:
Turning Walls into Bridges
Taunya Dressler Summer 2011
An artist and activist uses murals to stimulate community engagement.
Five-hundred years ago, two noted artists were commissioned in a contest to decorate the walls of the Council Hall in Florence's famed Palazzo Vecchio. The competition would mark the rebirth of the Florentine Republic, celebrating its freedom and redefining its community.
The Tuscan artists Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo da Vinci were summoned from Rome and Milan, respectively, to illustrate their civic pride and artistic prowess next to one another on the walls of the palazzo's Salone (grand hall). The contest was the talk of the town, and the battle scenes to be depicted paled in comparison to the heated battle between the artists.
But the contest would have no winner. Da Vinci's mural was left unfinished, and Michelangelo's never made it beyond the preparatory stage. However, the event heralded an era of art for community engagement.
Now, a Utah artist has returned to her hometown of South Salt Lake to engage in a similar renaissance—reviving civic pride through community murals.
Kim Martinez BFA'98, associate professor of painting and drawing, has watched the city evolve from farmland to an industrial zone in her lifetime, and feels the growing pains it and its residents have gone through.
"There are over 40,000 people in South Salt Lake between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.," she explains. "After 5 p.m., that number drops to only 10,000." What this means for the community is fewer residents to look after their city, and a greater amount of graffiti to remove from neighborhood walls after sunrise.
In 2003, Martinez began teaching a Special Topics Mural Class that brings students into the community to paint a mural they designed in class. She chose South Salt Lake for the focus of her projects.
Martinez and her students have now completed 17 murals—no simple task when considering the finances, organization, and cooperation required to accomplish such a project. In addition to teaching her students the technical skills required to paint a surface 30 times their size and tie it seamlessly together, Martinez also funds the projects through securing grants, and negotiates the logistics with facility owners. She uses any leftover funding to take her students to visit museums and view art installations firsthand in New York, Chicago, and other metropolitan areas.
Although Martinez has no trouble finding mural sites today—receiving more than 15 invitations per year from business owners along the Wasatch Front to decorate their walls—it wasn't always the case.
In 2001, Martinez was approached by Tim Williams, then director of Parks & Recreation in South Salt Lake, to paint murals along the city's TRAX line. She and Williams drove around neighborhoods and approached building owners, asking if they'd like a mural painted.
"When we started out, approaching building owners to ask if we could paint their walls, many owners thought we were offering to paint ads for them. We had to educate them. It took some work to help them understand our goals," she says.
"The average person sees hundreds of ads per day. Murals are visual images that aren't trying to sell anything. They are establishing civic pride. We are creating images that instill civic engagement. They are a dialogue with community," explains Martinez.
Martinez also invites community members to participate in the mural projects as they take place. "If I can get a kid painting a wall with me, and doing it legally, that kid may be inclined to vote when he/she turns 18," she observes. In 2008, Martinez won a National Endowment for the Arts grant through the Utah Arts Council that allowed her and University students to work collaboratively with participants from "Youth City," Salt Lake valley teens ages 13-16.
She also notes that the residents and building owners take greater pride in the neighborhood where they've contributed murals. The TRAX line has unfortunately been hit by graffiti; however, Martinez says that the murals painted along the line in residential areas have not suffered the way those in vacant lots have. The reason? Martinez's understanding of the chemistry of paint has given her an edge over graffiti artists whose efforts to deface her murals have often been defeated by her expertise. Martinez uses acrylic paints specially mixed to brave the elements. She and her students paint each mural five to seven times, adding new layers that give them more of a fine art quality than a billboard. "Our murals have been tagged," she says, "but [the taggers] used house paint, which we were able to remove with an acid wash, and the mural remained unharmed."
Community Murals
(click above to view a
mural showcase):
Gritton & Associates,
235 W. 2950 South
Manness Sheet Metal,
211 W. Gregson Avenue
(3052 South)
Alta Fire Protection,
Harris Dudley Plumbing,
3039 S. Specialty Circle (200 West)
Bonwood Bowling Alley,
2500 S. Main Street
HB Boys, 2280 S. Main Street
Salt Lake County Building,
2100 S. State Street, North Building
Columbus Center, 2531 S. 400 East
Utah Arts Council, 319 S. 500 West
Millcreek Trailhead, 3160 S. 500 East
Division of Blind and Visually Impaired
Government Complex IRS Building,
250 N. 1950 West
Primary Children's Medical Center,
100 Mario Capecchi Drive
Destroyed: Standard Builders Supply,
After receiving a BFA from the U, Martinez went on to obtain an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2000. But long before she was an art professor, she was an artist.
"I come from a blue-collar background, and the arts were not considered a reliable professional choice," she says. "But I always loved to draw." She brought that passion to a variety of related careers, including ad agencies, product development and design, and the ski industry, where she designed products for multiple manufacturers.
Although she is known today for her large-scale murals, Martinez started out painting much more portable pieces. "I'd been painting and drawing my entire life, but I had to learn to create murals," she says. "You have to take into account the perspective of an image so large, and how it changes depending on where you stand in relation to it."
The "New Life" mural located at the Millcreek Trailhead
She notes, however, that she is not a typical commercial gallery artist. "Art can be outside of a gallery or museum, like me. It's important to me to be engaged in community. If I were an accountant, I would be involved in community accounting. I just so happen to be an artist, so I bring art to the community." She has taken her art to prisons, hospitals, trailheads, and transportation hubs, to name a few of her chosen locations.
"The work we do will be a bridge," she says. Martinez is not just teaching her students how to paint, but also to be empathetic to the needs of society. "Murals need to take other people's experiences and personalize them."
This is part of the philosophy that guides the selection process for the murals.
Last fall, Martinez's class completed work on the new Millcreek Trailhead in South Salt Lake. As is the process with every mural project, each student submits a design to be considered for selection by the community. In the case of the Millcreek Trailhead, 150 community members selected the design, "New Life," by Tyler Smith. The mural, at 870 square feet, is a sequential narrative of birds in space.
Smith says of the work, "A true community has to rely on growth, stability, perseverance, and the fact that ordinary people can go out of their way to make a difference in any way possible. This mural tells a story of 'new life' and of a bird born with a single goal, to bring new life to the world. This bird is in search of a supernatural flower that when planted… can grow into a very healthy fruit tree, and not just any fruit tree, but a tree that can bear any and all fruits imaginable. This bird represents the people of South Salt Lake and the idea that anyone can make a difference, the tree is a symbol of growth and stability, and the flower is a symbol of a new beginning. So just remember that with the right mindset, anything is possible."
Martinez proves that indeed anyone can make a difference, beginning with bricks and mortar, ending with walls transformed into bridges.
—Taunya Dressler is assistant dean for undergraduate affairs with the College of Humanities and has written previously for Continuum.
2 thoughts on "Turning Walls into Bridges"
Matt Boerke says:
What a motivating person. Her murals truly are beautiful bridges. As a resident of South Salt Lake, I take pride in my community and appreciate community projects and people which do the same. One comment on the article would have been to include links to all those beautiful murals. Knowing the locations is good, but I would have appreciated seeing the actual art online.
Monte Martinez says:
I love Kim. I love her body of work.


text:
City Should Run Transit System: Council Speaker
Photo Courtesy of John McCarten/NY City Council
Council Speaker Johnson delivered his debut State of the City address on Tuesday at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City.
By Michael V. Cusenza
The City should control its own transit destiny. In order to achieve this authority, the City must have control over its public transportation system, according to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, whose headline-stealing State of the City address made the case for municipal command of buses and subways in the five boroughs.
Johnson chose the Mainstage Theater at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City for his debut SOTC; and he chose transportation as the main theme of a unique address heavy on style and substance.
"Transit is at the heart of who we are as a City. And transit is at the heart of the crisis we're in right now," the speaker said.
The speaker's speech was based on "Let's Go: A Case for Municipal Control and a Comprehensive Transportation Vision for the Five Boroughs," Johnson's 104-page report that outlines his idea for revolutionizing mass transit in NYC.
"It's time for the City to take back control of the subway and buses so that we can establish and implement our own transportation priorities," Johnson demanded. "This report closely examines the problems associated with the current MTA governance structure and proposes a detailed plan, including proposed operating and capital budgets and new revenue streams, for a City-controlled entity to run our mass transit system. Recognizing that failures of government come from failures of accountability and responsibility, the report proposes three key elements for the new system: accountability, transparency, and oversight."
Johnson's vision even involves a new name for New York City's mass transit system: the BAT.
"The State must transfer New York City Transit, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, the MTA Bus Company, the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, MTA Bridges and Tunnels, and a portion of operations at MTA Headquarters to a new entity controlled by the City—Big Apple Transit," he posited.
Johnson's ambitious plan calls for: one person in charge. Under the BAT, that would be the mayor. Riders and taxpayers would know who controls the system and who to hold accountable.
Johnson noted that the BAT's structure would be modeled on the Water Board. The BAT would resolve issues of political interference and a lack of clear financial support by taking a page from the operations of what Johnson characterized as "a successful, capital-intensive municipal operation: the City's water system." Like that system, BAT's operations would be part of the City's budget and subject to the same oversight and planning process that other City agencies currently undergo. Similarly, BAT's financial plan would also be periodically reviewed by a third party engineering firm to ensure that these financial plans provide sufficient resources to keep the system viable over the long-run. These steps will prevent any future backsliding in maintenance and investment to guarantee New Yorkers a reliable transit system, according to Johnson.
"If you think solving our transit crisis is too hard, look around when you leave here today. Take a look at Queens. Look at Brooklyn. At the Bronx. Upper Manhattan. The subways built that. New Yorkers built that. Immigrants built that," Johnson concluded. "We are the greatest city in the world."


the moment in which we go beyond borders no matter where we are.
the possibility of building both a special place and time in which everything is possible.
the universal language through which we can communicate without words.
the only serious occupation that every child should have.
the right that everybody has throughout life.
the opening to inclusive and transforming possibilities of affective bonds, multiple intelligences and creativity.
It's a children game, which is practised with five stones, which are caught. One stone is thrown up, you must one of them and it's catched again. The idea is to throw the stones vertically with the palm, while it's in the air change the position of palm to catch the stones.
- Players sit on the floor, doing a circle and it´s played with turn.
- Put them on the table.
- Take one with your hand and throw it up to the air, in the same time take one of the table.
- Once all the stones are caught, you do it again but this time you are supposed to pick up two stones, then three, and four.
- Put your hands in form of cup, throw the stones and put your handsin V shape.
- Try to take all the stones, if a stone isn't caught while you're playing, you miss your turn. So other people start to play.
- The game is based on having 50 desk cards.The 9, 8 and wildcards are not used.
- The game is played with 3 people and all the cards are dealt from the stock pile and it is played with 10 major cards.
- This type of game is called ``Tute Cabrero´´ and it is played in Argentina and Uruguay.
- The types are coarse, gold, spade, cup.
- The game is played to get more or fewer points and the one in the middle loses.
- The player who gets 5 points is out of the game.
1. One player stands near a wall and beckons to the others with a call of "Green Light," which prompts them to advance swiftly....or of "Red Light," which means they must freeze in their tracks.
2. The object of the game is to tag the "caller." The first player to do so wins the round and becomes the next "caller."
3. If a player moves, flinches, or advances when "Red Light" is called, he/she is eliminated from the round.
We hope everyone will enjoy learning to play this popular, traditional game.
This well-known game, sometimes used for choosing the leader of some different game or activity, is here demonstrated by Darien High School students.
Each player will punch the bottom of their right fists into the palm of their left hand 3 times as they say "rocks, paper, scissors".
After you pound your first 3 times, say "shoot" immediately after scissors is said. Each player, at the same time, will choose either rock, paper, or scissor.
Rock is shaped like a fist, scissors shape is represented by 2 extended fingers, and paper is a flat palm.
Here, the rascals of Darien High School demonstrate the ubiquitous birthday party game, played throughout the world by the young-at-heart.
Some "tails" that will attach to the poster.
One person puts on the blindfold and is spun around until they are somewhat disoriented.
The blindfolded person then tries to put the "tail" onto the donkey as close to the donkey's rear as possible.
Remove the blindfold and observe the results.
Each player goes through steps 1-3 and at the end whoever's tail is the closest wins!


text:
Green Ideology's Failed Experiment
At a February 2000 press conference, the first man to walk on the moon announced the National Academy of Engineering's twenty most significant engineering achievements of the twentieth century. The aeroplane took third place; the automobile second; in first, the vast networks of electricity that power the developed world. None of the other nineteen would have been possible without electricity, Neil Armstrong declared. "If anything shines as an example of how engineering changed the world during the twentieth century," he said, "it is certainly the power we use in our homes and businesses."[1]
The twentieth century's bequest of cheap, reliable electrical energy is now being undone. For the past decade or so, Australia and other industrialised countries have been conducting a vast experiment on their electrical grids. Tried, tested and refined technologies — predominantly based on coal-fired generation — are being replaced by weather-dependent wind and solar farms. Western societies are moving from industrial means of generating their electricity, with the precision, reliability and economies of scale that implies, to intermittent sources that, like agriculture, depend on the weather, with all that implies for cost and reliability.
The green energy revolution – counter-revolution would be more accurate – did not come about because wind and solar are superior generating technologies. If they were, they wouldn't have needed the plethora of costly political interventions. These have turned the electricity market into an Aladdin's cave for rent-seekers while destroying the market's function to allocate capital sensibly and serve customers efficiently. Instead, the origins of the renewable experiment lie in a deeply ideological reaction against the Industrial Revolution, which, in one of the most important developments of our age, almost imperceptibly became the boilerplate of elite opinion.
Now the results of that experiment are in and they're not looking good. Australians formerly enjoyed one of the world's lowest-cost energy markets. Not anymore. In nine years, retail prices in the National Electricity Market (NEM) are up 80-90%. In just two years, business electricity costs doubled, even tripled, resulting in staff lay-offs, relocations and industry closures.[2] 'The requirement is for efficient prices and affordability for "a healthy NEM," the Energy Security Board states in its first annual report.[3]
What are Australians getting for these cost increases? Last year saw an unprecedented increase in the number of tight supply/demand notices.[4] The constraints now required for system security are estimated to be costing 'tens of millions of dollars,' according to the Energy Security Board.[5] Even this is likely to be a serious underestimate. Comparing average electricity prices with those during January's two-day heat wave – a by no means abnormal occurrence – suggests total extra electricity cost of $400m in Victoria and South Australia.[6]
Regulatory economist Alan Moran has graphed the cost of the renewables counter-revolution.[7] It shows that after inflation, retail electricity prices steadily falling for 25 years from 1955 to 1980. Then, with some bumps up and down, prices flat-lined until around 2005, when the rapid growth of wind and solar sees the near doubling of electricity prices in a little over a decade, more than reversing the post-1955 decline.
You don't have to be a Thomas Edison or a Nikola Tesla to see that putting large amounts of intermittent capacity into the grid while keeping the lights on will result in higher costs. Wind and solar suffer the obvious shortcoming that they respond to the weather and not to customer demand, something that should have killed off the experiment right at the start.
It gets worse. The Energy Security Board points out that the ability of the grid to cope with sudden supply/demand imbalances is determined by the inertia in the power system, which in the twentieth century was provided by big, heavy turbines spinning at near constant speeds. Before they were taken off the grid, coal fired power stations provided grid stability at no extra cost. Coal turbines are 600 tons and spin at 3,000 rpm. Wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) are non-synchronous and have low or zero physical inertia. As South Australians are finding out, taking coal offline while putting more wind and solar online makes for a fragile grid.
There is now more than enough evidence to show that renewables do not work. We're at the stage of the revolution where rationalisations for failure have to be found to explain why it's not working as advertised. It's a familiar pattern. Apologists for the Communist experiments of the last century used to argue that the idea was noble; the problem was the way the revolution was implemented. Similarly, evidence that the renewable energy experiment isn't working indicates, we're told, that the experiment hasn't been implemented properly. A tweak here, a stronger policy commitment there, and somehow it will all come right — the revolution able to proceed as even more wind and solar is added to the grid.
Policymakers never interpret the ample available evidence as demonstrating the renewable-energy experiment's failure, nor that it needs to be halted before further damage is done. Oligopolistic market structures, illiquid wholesale and hedging markets, consumer confusion, incoherent policy design – all the factors that have been variously held responsible for high electricity prices and a fragile grid – could be solved, and the outcome would still be much the same.
It's true that power companies, such as AGL, have perfected the art of price-gouging. Prematurely closing coal-fired power stations squeezes supply and gives incumbents more market power. Although AGL's accounts are opaque – UK energy companies aren't allowed to get away with the lack of detail in AGL's segmental reporting – there is enough in its five-year summary to demonstrate how AGL can make money by selling less electricity at higher prices.
Between 2013 and 2017, AGL's electricity volumes rose by 20.0%, but its revenue rose 50% faster, with a 29.5% increase, and its underlying profits climbed by 32.7%, whilst its total assets only rose by 8.2%.[8] Green energy policies have gifted AGL with a remarkable money-making machine at the expense of the Australian economy. Such market abuses could be cured and an optimal policy design adopted, but it wouldn't overcome the destructive impact of having too much wind and solar on the grid. This is because their impact on electricity costs and grid reliability are inherent in wind and solar as generating technologies.
Cracking the storage problem — the horse to the wind and solar cart — is essential if intermittent generation is to be economically viable. Like the cavalry in Hollywood Westerns, low cost battery storage is always spruiked as being poised to come to the rescue of wind and solar's intermittency. But as Steven Chu, Barack Obama's first energy secretary, recently observed, the lithium-ion batteries Elon Musk is selling South Australia and Victoria cost around forty times as much as the equivalent reserve capacity of hydro-electric installations.[9] Hydropower remains the only renewable energy source that has been successfully integrated into the grid at scale — in 1895 generating the first electricity used for long-distance transmission. Even if the cost of battery storage were to halve, Chu says, it would still not be cheap enough to accommodate the big seasonable shifts in renewable power production.
Germany, the country that did more than any other to promote the renewables experiment saw it turn thoroughly sour in 2017. [10] Although wind and solar output exceeded nuclear and hard coal in Germany's energy mix for the first time, greenhouse gas emissions were flat for the third year running.[11] Despite its cherished climate leadership, Germany is on course to miss by ten percentage points its 2020 target of a 40% cut in its greenhouse gas emissions.
But the most interesting of the pro-renewables think tank Agora Energiewende's findings are on public attitudes. Reflecting the effect of wall-to-wall pro-renewable PR and compliant media coverage, an opinion survey found 75% supporting the statement that energy transition is a collective responsibility everyone should do their part to help succeed. Only 3% considered the energy transition a mistake.[12] Instead the high costs of the energy transition are blamed on implementation. Over two-thirds of those surveyed were 'very' dissatisfied (31%) or 'somewhat' dissatisfied (37%) with the energy transition policies of the federal government, with only five percent being very or somewhat satisfied.[13]
When first launched, the ex-Communist Green energy minister Jürgen Trittin claimed that supporting renewables would only add the equivalent of a scoop of icecream to monthly electricity bills. Nine years on, his CDU successor, Peter Altmaier, was saying Germany's energy reforms could amount to one trillion euros (A$1.57 trillion) by the end of the 2030s.[14]
There is no rational explanation for Germany's addiction to renewable energy. Lying closer to the North Pole than the Equator and subject to North Atlantic weather systems, Germany is hardly a natural for solar power, yet it installed more solar capacity than any other country. Rather, it is the product of ideology, of German culture and philosophy.
Coal and steel propelled Germany's European ascendancy, but antagonism to industrialisation is a recurrent and irresolvable contradiction of German culture. Hermann Scheer, the German MP and renewable lobbyist behind Germany's disastrous 2000 renewable energy law, liked to cite the 1909 Nobel Prize-winning chemist Wilhelm Ostwald to the effect that a sustainable economy should be based exclusively on the regular utilisation of the amount of energy sent each year by the sun. Environmentalism was a prominent feature in Nazi ideology, and the Nazis were the first party anywhere in the world to have a wind power programme. See if what the Nazi daily paper Volkischer Beobachter reported on February 24, 1932 sounds familiar, from spruiking hydrogen production to falling prices and more jobs:
In a sensational speech by the constructor of the biggest steel towers (right) in Germany, the well known engineer Hermann Honnef from the Rhineland, at the Institute of Physics of the Technical University in Berlin, mentioned that in the height between 70 to 90 meters [230 to 300 ft], a high wind zone can deliver energy…
… The surplus electricity from the windmills, situated along the sea coast, will be used for the production of very inexpensive hydrogen. This will make many products less expensive. Fertilizers will fall in price. The hydration of coal to liquids will be cost-effective. The cost can be reduced from 17 pfennig per litre [64 pfennig per gallon] to 7-8 pfennig per litre [26-30 pfennig per gallon]. In this way about one billion Reichsmark can be saved, which today goes abroad (for importing oil). The 300,000 workers in the coal mining industry can keep their jobs, 200,000 in the mines and 100,000 for the liquefaction of coal. The cost savings will make it possible that an additional 400,000 workers can be paid in the transforming process of the industry
The Nazi dalliance with wind shows that we are barely any closer to solving the intermittency problem of renewable energy than the German engineers who advocated wind power in the 1930s. The solution, as noted above, was to convert wind energy into hydrogen and then store it.[15] Dismissing battery storage nine decades later, Obama-era energy secretary Steven Chu remarked that other technologies are needed to convert renewable energy into chemical fuel when the sun isnt shining and the wind won't blow. 'If you make really cheap hydrogen from renewables and store it underground, then you have something very different.'[16]
As the world's second-largest exporter of manufactured goods, Germany cannot subsist on wind and solar energy. This is not a dilemma for the German Greens, as they want to reverse the Industrial Revolution. For them, the transition to a post-hydrocarbon world constitutes the third of mankind's revolutions, the first being the Neolithic Revolution – the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled societies based on agriculture – and the second, the Industrial Revolution. Thus environmentalism in the 21st century is as much a radical ideological project to transform society as Communism was in the last. The difference is that Marxism only triumphed in pre-industrial societies whereas environmentalism is embraced by the elites of the West.
In the 1940s, the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter saw that the values and sociology of capitalism would bring about its own demise. He could not have foreseen that environmentalism would unlock capitalism's fortresses, its doors flung open and the enemies of capitalism invited in. Already in the late 1960s and early 1970s, business leaders and the people who do their thinking for them were debating how industrialization was going to destroy the planet. In 1970, a two-day seminar of opinion leaders at the Aspen Institute concluded that modern technology, greedy men and complacent governments were threatening the future of a decent and civilised world. 'All insist that the human family is approaching an historic crisis which will require fundamental revisions in the organisation of society,' the New York Times reported.[17] That they were wrong then hasn't stopped their more modern successors preaching the same doomsday creed of imminent planetary catastrophe.
As it had been in Christianity and communism, the French philosopher Pascal Bruckner, writes in The Fanaticism of the Apocalypse, the future has once again become 'the great category of blackmail.'[18] This helps explain why sensible politicians have, with varying degrees of enthusiasm – or rather, lack of it – acquiesced in policies that, despite their manifest unsuitability, to put renewables onto the grid. The carbon blackmail worked.
Although the ransom Australia paid is steep, the carbon savings are puny. Carbon dioxide emitted by the NEM fell by 20 million tonnes over the last decade, all of it in the five years from 2009.[19] At the same time, China's carbon dioxide emissions rose by 2,293 million tonnes, an average increase of 38 million tonnes a month.[20] In other words, the painful savings made by the NEM are equivalent to less than 16 days of the increase in China's carbon dioxide emissions – with more pain to come as more wind and solar is put on the grid and if AGL gets its way and closes more coal-fired power stations.
Germany's manufacturers are partially insulated from the full effects of the renewable transition as they benefit from a cross-subsidy from consumers. Nonetheless by 2013, they were paying 26% more for electricity than the EU average. In 15 out of the previous 17 years, domestic investment by energy-intensive industries was less than depreciation, a situation Deutsche Bank described as a wake-up call to Germany's political class on the economic harm caused by Germany's pursuit of unilateral policies on energy and climate.[21]
If anything, these are even more problematic for Australia. As the world's largest exporter of iron and coal, it powered through the GFC thanks to the commodities boom. At a very basic level of logic, if Australia maintains current volumes of iron ore and coal exports, worth $117.7bn this year,[22] then the carbon dioxide emitted from the smelters and power stations of China, Japan, South Korea and India will swamp any domestic reductions Australia makes. Seen in this context, pro-renewable, anti-coal policies simply make no sense. But they will continue until national politicians shift from saying renewable energy policy is a good idea badly implemented to saying simply accurately that it is a bad idea and calling time on the disastrous renewable energy experiment.
That takes courage, but then that's what political leadership is supposed to be about.
Rupert Darwall is author of Green Tyranny: Exposing the Totalitarian Roots of the Climate Industrial Complex (Encounter Books, 2017)
[1] Rupert Darwall, Green Tyranny: Exposing the totalitarian roots of the Climate Industrial Complex (2017), p.157
[2] Energy Security Board, The Health of the National Electricity Market: 2017 Annual Report, p.3, p.18
[3] Energy Security Board, The Health of the National Electricity Market: 2017 Annual Report, p.19
[6] Unpublished note by Paul Miskelly and Tom Quirk, 'Analysis of electricity costs for 18 and 19 January heat wave'
[7] Alan Moran, 'AGL: impoverishing the nation to boost its bottom line,' The Spectator Australian, 14 December 2017
[8] AGL, Annual Report 2017, p.7
[9] John Ross, 'Obama energy secretary Steven Chu flat on battery,' The Australian, 29January 2018
[10] Agora Energiewende, The Energy Transition in the Power Sector: State of Affairs in 2017, p.37
[11] Agora Energiewende, The Energy Transition in the Power Sector: State of Affairs in 2017, p.3
[14] Rupert Darwall, Green Tyranny: Exposing the totalitarian origins of the Climate Industrial Complex (2017), p.143
[15] Rupert Darwall, Green Tyranny: Exposing the totalitarian origins of the Climate Industrial Complex (2017), p.34
[16] John Ross, 'Obama energy secretary Steven Chu flat on battery,' The Australian, 29January 2018
[17] James Reston, 'Aspen, Colo.: The Philosophers at Bay,' New York Times, 2 April 1970
[18] Pascal Bruckner (tr. Steven Rendall), The Fanaticism of the Apocalypse (2013), pp.56-57
[19] Energy Security Board, The Health of the National Electricity Market: 2017 Annual Report, p.22
[20] Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, 'Fossil-Fuel CO2 Emissions by Nation' http://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/ftp/ndp030/CSV-FILES/nation.1751_2014.csv (accessed on 9 February 2018)
[21] Eric Heymann, 'Carbon Leakage: A Barely Perceptible Process' (January 2014) & 'Capital Investment in Germany at sectoral level,' (January 2015), Deutsche Bank Research
[22] Office of the Chief Economist, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, Resources and Energy Quarterly (December 2017), Fig. 1.11
Tony Tea – 21st February 2018
It is interesting to hear the Big Battery supporters spruik its success in stopping recent blackouts.
The trouble is that if it happens too often the general public will cotton on to the fact that Big Battery is just another network support device, not a generation replacement. For tbat to happen there would need to be several thousand Big Batteries.
That's all well and good, but it's mighty expensive, and ironically, a return to Edison's original idea of a power station in every suburb.
And of course the 1000s of BBs would need 100s of big chargers since they can't really all charge each other.
Biggles – 21st February 2018
Dear Mr. Darwall, Australian political leadership? Don't you read the papers?
[email protected] – 22nd February 2018
Well written article. Thanks.
I read an article the other day about how big batteries could tackle the "duck-curve" in the near future. Of course it would need lots of subsidies (wbich sounds better than cost increases). Little did it dawn on the authors that peak-shaving a few hours of surplus and load shifting is the easy bit. Accumulating sufficient energy for a week or two energy drought is a real challenge for which even pumped-hydro is no clear solution. It really needn't be this way.
en passant – 22nd February 2018
There is a solution: do as I have done and move overseas to a coal-fired country with a realistic view of the world. My Electicity Bill (no, not Shorten) for an all-electric home for 3-weeks was $60.
lloveday – 22nd February 2018
I have to buy electricity in advance, $100 lasts about 6 weeks, but I have a gas stove, so much the same.
However, 5% of households in the region don't have electricity, there are occasional power-outs, and there are kids being born everyday, more kids born than oldies who die, so the government has approved the construction of 2×330 MW coal-burning electricity generation plants, but Greenpeace have taken court action to try to prevent the construction.
The plebs don't aspire to do as Greenpeace personnel and donors do – flit around the world in planes, stay in air-conditioned hotels, sail in what I call pirate-ships or drive around in Teslas; just having electric lights rather than oil lamps for their kids to read/play under, a radio, maybe even a TV, even a small fridge so they don't have to buy food every day, and who knows, even be able to give the kids milk as a treat.
Greenpeace claims the modest coal-burning power plants represent a major threat to the continuing survival of the human race. All 7.5billion of us gone because of 660MW generation!
There is something to be said for a benevolent dictator who would give Greenpeace vandals very short shift.
rodcoles – 22nd February 2018
That, ep, is NOT, I think, a solution for most of us.
It seems Mr Wetherill has not read this article or that of Mr Moran. Perhaps this shows more need for Small Liquid fuel nuclear reactors and hydrogen fuel cells. Anyone who has ever used a torch would realise the short comings of battery powered devices.
I suggest weatherwall is incapable of comprehending the matters raised in the Darwall paper. That said, I believe he will remain in office, with the aid of the X-factor and the sloth and ineptitude of the opposition.
ianl – 22nd February 2018
Although the analyses here are accurate (there are three main websites run by the AEMO that one can see daily, hourly, this accuracy), they are not the most important points.
I've noted it before, as have several others. At the risk of being labelled "cynical" (that lazy label designed to shoot the messenger), this is the most critical and influential:
"Reflecting the effect of wall-to-wall pro-renewable PR and compliant media coverage, an opinion survey found 75% supporting the statement that energy transition is a collective responsibility everyone should do their part to help succeed. Only 3% considered the energy transition a mistake"
This is Germany. Why is Australia different ? It's not. Not even a complete power loss at the new Adelaide hospital when surgeons were actually operating on a live, opened patient (scalpels, clamps, tubes etc all inside the open surgical wound) can convince people of their stupidity.
The Disenlightment is almost completed.
[email protected] – 24th February 2018
Having worked in the electricity industry for a while. what is often overlooked is the role privitisation of the generators as well as their fuel supply ie the coal mines, has had in pushing up prices. Many commentators are happy to concentrate on the subsidisation of renewables but are not prepared to discuss whether selling off the generating assets has been a positive or a negative step. Note the coal generators still represent 80-90% of supply and are often doing the price setting.
The evidence is clear it has been a mistake. For those who believe that privatisation is always superior to government ownership this is a difficult fact to face up to. The problem has been exacerbated because many of those companies which bought the generators and the coal mines are foreign-owned. If you believe AGL's financial records are opaque, try Energy Australia (China), Infigen (China, Canada), Alinta (China).
In NSW, three of the four coal generators are beholden to the Thailand-owned company Banpu for coal. Almost all of the fuel is priced at export prices if not more because of the lack of local competition.There are no coal mines left in NSW which are dedicated to only feeding the station.Previously many of these mines were government owned so that fuel was on a cost basis. Now the fuel is two to three times as much. Almost all of NSW coal mines are foreign owned.
Still Delta Coast, which was sold to two wealthy individuals for only $1 million dollars only two years ago is now valued for $750 million due to high electricity prices. They have simply passed on these higher coal costs to consumers.
Hazelwood's (Vic) and Northern's (SA) closures are the main reason that electricity prices have increased over the last twelve months. If they had remained in state hands consumers would have been able to point more directly their fingers at government as to why their closures better managed. That is prior to their de-commissioning, they were replaced with equal supply. However as both were in private hands this has become a grey area.
Most of the market-loving crowd believe that the gap will be eventually be filled with renewables but complain that this involves generous subsidies. They will then go on to complain about the closure of Liddell. However Liddell, Hazelwood and Northern were/are plants which are well past their use-by-dates. Liddell should have closed three years ago. It will now close in 2022, which will probably spell the end of Tomago aluminium smelter in Newcastle.
The real problem is that state governments are not stepping up to build replacement coal-fired power plants. This is a gross irresponsibility. More so because the new technologies in coal-fired generation would see a significant reduction in CO2 emissions vs the existing generators. You can hardly expect private companies to do this given the continuous shift in policy and when they have practically been commanded to invest in renewables via the RET.
Commentators must face up to the fact that given the natural monopolies that exist in generation supply, as well as electricity being an essential service, the private sector cannot be left on its own to provide cheap electricity. This is the case even if subsidies on renewables were removed.
Tricone – 25th February 2018
Sert,
I don't quite get why you say privatisation is the problem and then in the same breath concede that the private operators are forced by government policy to "invest in" (spend on) renewables.
I did work at SECV in the state-owned days . It was grossly inefficient and antiquated. We workers in the briquette factory bludged most of the days during the week and so made sure we always got overtime to do at the weekends.
Prices for consumers did come down after privatisation.
Given the extreme disincentives to build new coal-fired plant put in the path of any private operator .
I doubt they would own the problem they created any more if it was in state hands, rather than private. When does government ever do that?
The amount of misinformation surrounding energy production in Australia is mind boggling, and almost fully colluded in by the media.
Activists point the finger but only to demand more spending on renewables and more lawfare on coal miners and generators.
America Observed With an ABC Squint
Tony Thomas
The Love That Won't Shut Up
Global Animosity Club
Royston Mitchell


Spring is the perfect time to clean your business – out with the old and in with the new.
Your customers are excited to spend more time outdoors and enjoy their time with friends and family as the festive season countdown begins. How are you going show your customers that your business is relevant and up to speed with the latest trends and change in season?
Take this time to do some spring cleaning, both literally and figuratively. Ensure that your business is ready for the enthusiastic customer base that is ready to shop and grasp the fresh new ideas and products that your business has to offer. This doesn't only benefit your customers but also the business itself. By taking a comprehensive look at your day-to-day activities and re-assessing your customers' needs will help reveal where improvements can be made.
This is the season to try and test new things, so set aside some budget to get out of your comfort zone.
Thought starter: It might be time to consider a brand refresh, this doesn't have to be over the top. It could mean changing the font in your logo, adding a coat of paint to your physical premises or simply getting a new uniform for Spring. Sometimes the smallest of changes can have the greatest impact. Ask your existing customers how you can improve and offer an enhanced experience. Many of our merchants renovate over this period or run Spring specific campaigns.
This is the perfect opportunity to capitalise on the fresh changes that are to come with the transition in season. It may be worthwhile to create a relatable theme that can be carried across different customer touch-points (website, in-store etc.) Consider marketing campaigns, events or promotions that give customers a reason to use your services. Remember your loyal and frequent customers and use this time to reward them and show that they are important to you.
3. Update your digital presence: This is a simple but very effective way to create a great first impression with your customers and influence their perception of your brand. People are looking for new things to do in the Spring season, they are looking online and on social media. You need to make sure that you are number one on that list. Your website should have a friendly landing page with easy navigation and highlight any new Spring specials or events. This should be reflected on listing websites as well, for example Google Places, Dining-Out and Trip Advisor, so make sure everything is up to date.
Thought starter: Update your website with relevant Spring creative and messaging. You can also create a Facebook campaign that encourages engagement from your customers and creates awareness about any specials you might be having.
Although major energy needs to be invested into your customers, don't let your employees slip your mind. They are vital to the running of your business, so take some time to find out if they are happy and motivated, especially with the start of a new busy season. Challenge them and yourself to answer the question: "why do you get up and come to work every morning?". This talk by Simon Sinek will provide context to this question, he challenges listeners to identify what their "why" is and determine what sets them apart from the competition out there. There is a reason why this was the 7th most watched Ted Talk in history, if you haven't already, watch the video and see how great leaders inspire action.
Thought starter: You can launch a staff incentive programme that runs for the Spring season, the mechanics should drive the desired behaviour that you expect from your team all year round. It is also a great time to have a team building day, somewhere outdoors and inspiring, get everyone to think about what your business "why" should be.
When last did you look at all your business operations from start to finish? Are there any areas where you could either cut costs or improve efficiencies? This might be the right time to try that new software or change your customer management system. These are often the things that we sweep under the rug and say we will get to it later in the year. Later in the year is already here.
Thought starter: Get your management team around a table and spend at least a full day analysing the businesses, every process, every system and see where improvements can be made. You can also create the necessary communication channels to get input and ideas from all levels off staff, at the end of the day they are the actual individuals running your business on a day-to-day basis.


Specification : A universal testing machine is used to test the tensile stress and compressive strength of materials.
Universal testing machines (UTMs) that test mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural, compressive and shear. The UTM is a great multi-purpose instrument for an R&D lab. or quality control department.
Operation of the machine is by hydraulic transmission of load from the test specimen to a separately housed load indicator. The system is ideal since it replaces transmission of load through levers and knife edges, which are prone to wear and damage due to shock on rupture of test pieces. Load is applied by a hydrostatically lubricated ram. Main cylinder pressure is transmitted to the cylinder of the pendulum dynamometer system housed in the control panel. The cylinder of the dynamometer is also of self - lubricating design. The deflection of the pendulum represents the absolute load applied on the test specimen. Return movement of the pendulum is effectively damped to absorb energy in the event of sudden breakage of the specimen.
Fix upper and lower pressure plates to the upper stationary head &lower table respectively. Place the specimen on the lower plate in order to grip, then adjust zero.
Do not switch on the machine without connecting the point to the earth cable of the machine.
Care should be taken not to switch on main supply before plugging in cable connector.


I was thinking about the way we were back when I was a youngster and walking to school in the morning. Sure, we all had our problems. We all had our differences too and regardless to how divided we may have been at times, we were still together as a community.
America, I grew up in a middle income world. No one I knew was overly wealthy and no one was tragically poor. We were all somehow safe in our modern day ignorance. There was racism. Make no mistake about it. Racism was alive and well but we never really spoke about it much. We never complained; we just knew what it was.
Going back to the years when I was so small, I wore one-piece pajamas with little feet on them, I remember my neighbor, Mr. Praus. He lived in the house next to mine with an elderly woman named Laura. Mr. Praus was dark skinned and spoke with a very thick Brazilian accent. He was difficult to understand but then again. I was too young to speak with Mr. Praus very much. Laura was from Belgium. She was divorced and older in years. She was kind to my family and always offered vegetables or fruit, which she grew in her garden.
I was too young to know much about the relationship between Laura and Mr. Praus. I know there was nothing intimate about it. I know that Mr. Praus helped around the house in exchange for a place to live. To me, it always seemed like a happy, mutually beneficial relationship. I never saw their difference of skin color. I never thought there was a problem with it and I certainly never thought much about the racial tension at the time. Then again, I was too small to know, think about, or understand anything like that.
One evening, a small group of men decided to plant a wooden cross on Laura's front lawn. To help with a better picture, our house was on a main street. Mine was the fifth house on Merrick Avenue, just north of Front Street. Laura's was the fourth house. Our town was no different from any middle-income town. We had our supermarkets and neighborhood delis. We had our neighborhood gas stations and service stations. There was a Carvel further south on Merrick and a bar known as Sugar Mountain Lodge on the corner of Front Street. My street was a busy street but we were safe and secure in our own neighborhood.
On the afternoon when the group of men decided to plant a wooden cross on Laura's front lawn, they also lit the cross on fire. This was about sundown and the weather was somewhat warm.
I never understood why this happened. I never knew there was anything wrong with the arrangement in the home next to mine.
Mr. Praus worked hard and he worked often. Laura was a fine woman, a grandmother, a friendly neighbor, and always kind. Why would anyone do something like this? And all I could remember was the swirling lights on firetrucks and police cars. I remember standing on the front stoop in my blue pajamas. It was evening and the sun had already begun to sink downward. The Old Man stood next to me. Then he grabbed me by the hand and walked me down the steps. The Old Man took me over to the house next door, walked passed the firemen and policemen standing at the scene, and then The Old Man walked right up to Mr. Praus and explained, "Not everybody feels this way." He shook Mr. Praus' hand and apologized for what had happened. After which, The Old Man took my hand again and walked me back home.
I remember the look on Mr. Praus' face. I remember the blackened parts of the burned wood on the cross. I remember the smoke lifting from the arms of the smoldered crucifix. The cross itself was not very tall. In fact it was equal to me, the height of a five to six year old boy.
"Because they're stupid," is all he could say.
I admit it. I am guilty of my own share of prejudice. I am guilty of ignorance. I remember being a boy and walking to school. I remember the homes in the town with the American Flag planted on flagpoles in front yards. I would see cars warming up in the winter, exhaust fuming into the cold winter air as working men ran from their front doors, a thermos with coffee in hand, newspaper folded and tucked under one arm as they rush to their car and rush off to work their lives away.
We were ignorant. We were angry. We were misled and misinformed. And for as long as I can remember, there has always been racial tension. There are wrongs on all different sides. There are wrongs on the white side and wrongs on the black. There are leaders who do not deserve to be called leaders. And there are those who claim to want want to make our country great, but we are falling from greatness America. And I'm tired of listening to the political know-it-all minded. I am tired of the liberal and the conservative. I'm tired and I don't want to talk with either of them anymore. Instead, I will stand tall with my beliefs to strengthen my spine.
America, I thought I had seen a lot in my life but I have never seen the tension as tight as it is now. With all my heart, America, I am sorry. I am sorry for the left side and the right side of our government. I am sorry for the citizens who disgrace your freedom. I am sorry that we the people of The United States of America, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and provide for the common defense, we have lost our way more now than ever before. Our sense of unity is furthermore being destroyed from the inside out, and with heavy heart, it pains me to admit this truth.
America, I refuse to give in. I plan to stand with you. I plan to stand with the country, which I wholeheartedly believe in. I will not give in to the systematic destruction of your constitution or your threads which weave together and give meaning to the words, Red, White, and Blue. I am still proud of who I am. I am the tired, the poor, and the huddle masses yearning to breathe freely. And because of the warmth in your bosom; I am not poor, or tired. No, I am a man alive in what I will call the greatest place on Earth. I am an American and proud to be. In spite of our faults, in spite of our differences and ignorance; I am an American and to those with "Love it or leave it," in mind—I cannot and will not leave or surrender my home soil because this is who I am and this is where I live.
I am tired of the far left and the far right. I am tired of them because both sides of our political system seem to forget about us, the middle, otherwise known as the heart of our country.
America, I cannot say what will happen in the near future. I cannot say whether war is eminent or if we will arise triumphant in the face of danger, terrorism, and the threats to your democracy. I can only tell you that I still believe in you. I may not believe in the people who serve you. But America, you are a spirit to me. And it is that spirit which I still choose to believe in.
I will not give up. I will not listen to either side of thought. I will not allow myself to be drawn into debate. I will, however, defend my soil with all my heart, soul, and even flesh.
It's hardest when . .


Lot of 30+ Original One Sheet (27x41) Comedy Movie Posters from the 70's and 80's.
These are folded. Most are in VG to Excellent condition. Feel free to email any questions. Many have the name of the movie written on the back or a very small sticker with the movie name on the border.


text:
Kateryna Babkina (, ur. 1985 w Iwano-Frankiwsku) – ukraińska poetka, pisarka, dziennikarka, scenarzystka, laureatka Literackiej Nagrody Europy Środkowej "Angelus".

Życiorys
Zadebiutowała w wieku 17 lat. Z wykształcenia jest dziennikarką, pracowała w zawodzie przez dziesięć lat. Publikowała na łamach prasy ukraińskiej i zagranicznej, w tym w "Esquire", "Le Monde", "Harper's Bazaar", "Art Ukraine", "Buro 24/7" czy "The Insider".

Jest autorką tomików poezji, zbiorów opowiadań, powieści i książek dla dzieci. Jej twórczość została przetłumaczona na 12 języków, w tym na język angielski, czeski, francuski, hiszpański i niemiecki. Napisała scenariusze do trzech filmów, zaś jej sztuka teatralna Hamlet Babylon została wystawiona w Kijowie, Genewie i w Wiedniu.

W 2018 roku została rezydentką programu literackiego The International Writing Program prowadzonego w ramach University w Iowa. Rok później znalazła się w finale Nagrody literackiej im. Josepha Conrada-Korzeniowskiego. W 2021 roku zdobyła Literacką Nagrodę Europy Środkowej Angelus 2021 i nagrodę czytelników im. Natalii Gorbaniewskiej za zbiór opowiadań Nikt tak nie tańczył, jak mój dziadek, który ukazał się w tłumaczeniu Bohdana Zadury nakładem Warsztatów Kultury.

Dzieła wydane po polsku
 Szczęśliwi nadzy ludzie, tłum. Bohdan Zadura, 2017 – opowiadania
 Sonia, tłum. Bohdan Zadura, 2018 – powieść
 Nikt tak nie tańczył, jak mój dziadek, tłum. Bohdan Zadura, 2020 – opowiadania

Jej poezje stanowią część antologii Bohdana Zadury 100 wierszy wolnych z Ukrainy (Biuro Literackie, Kołobrzeg 2022, ).

Przypisy

Laureaci Nagrody Literackiej Europy Środkowej "Angelus"
Prozaicy XXI wieku
Ukraińscy dziennikarze
Ukraińscy poeci
Ukraińscy prozaicy
Ukraińscy twórcy literatury dziecięcej i młodzieżowej
Ludzie urodzeni w Iwano-Frankiwsku
Urodzeni w 1985