I used to believe in conspiracy theories, I don’t now, and this is why

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho There is an echo chamber of paranoid conspiracy theory online regarding many issues. Often, it comes from a lack of understanding of how things work when it comes to certain subjects. It is why, I credit my college education for steering me clear of online websites masquerading as truth, when often they come across as carefully manufactured fiction. Infowars, is one of the most egregious of offenders, along with wearechange.org What they often do, is create an audience of paranoid, vulnerable people with kernels of fact and twist it into a narrative to sell a product. While I am skeptical of mainstream press due to its 21st Century track record on its reporting of important issues. I am even more skeptical of the so-called alternative media for its perpetuation of conspiracy theories based on flimsy evidence. It is important to know, anyone can fall for a conspiracy theory, even those who are extremely intelligent. Even I once fell victim to conspiracy theories before going through the process of achieving my education. One problem for me was, “confirmation bias, the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs.” This approach in decision making often leads to the ignoring of inconsistent information. What you must ask is, “Is it too good to be true?” This axiom can be both applied to Mainstream and Alternative Media equally, so long as you know where to find the scientific studies mentioned by these outlets. I learned how to see through a narrative by learning how to properly engage in research through appropriate sources. Google Scholar comes to mind, along with certain .gov, .org, and .edu websites that have shown they can be reliable. I learned to apply the SIFT method when it comes to an online source. SIFT stands for, “Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace.” This method is used by college libraries as a guide for Digital Literacy. When it comes to images that you see online a good tool to use is www.images.google.com This allows you to search an image you find online to see where its original source came from. Images and photographs can be doctored through a program like Adobe Photoshop, altering the original context to something other than the original intent. Sometimes images are made through computer programs powered by Artificial Intelligence. A good rule of thumb is unless you can find its original source through a reverse image search, be skeptical. A video from Common Sense Education outlines how you can use reverse Google Image Search, For forensic analysis of video footage posted online. European Union grant funded InVid Project allows the user to look at the origins of individual videos posted online. The tool only works for select websites, and has limited functionality on Baidu, a Chinese search engine. It covers Metadata, essentially a timestamp of when the video was published. It also allows for analysis of stills of the video to see where it was originally published. Google Scholar is a database where you can find scientific research as well as academic articles on a variety of subjects without having to pay fees. www.scholar.google.com When looking through Scientific Papers there are different sections you must consider. The Abstract describes in brief detail what the paper is about, the general methods used, and a summary of the findings. For the average person, it serves as a vehicle to see if the paper is of interest to you. The Introduction of a Scientific Paper is one where the research question and background information are presented. It is there to lead the reader to understand the authors hypothesis and means of testing it. This video explains the process by which a hypothesis is formed, according to YouTube Channel Ashford Science. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the statistical data in the Methods and Materials Section, along with the results. Don’t worry, it will be explained in the Discussion and Conclusion sections. The Discussion and Conclusion sections of the Scientific Paper is where the Scientists explain the implications of their work. They also explain why they have come to certain conclusions about the way a set of data has been presented in their findings. If there are academic papers that require you to purchase to gain access, you can always go to your Public Library and have your Librarian order them for you. This works for databases, such as JSTOR, where you would have access through your Library. As you set off to do your own research, hopefully, some of these resources will be of help.

Reflection: The US Constitutional Debate in the 21st Century

Note:This was a written reflection I did for my Poli Sci 240 class. Mark Reinhardt-Boise Idaho The debates between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists are still playing out today. They are just taking a different form looking at various aspects of society as they stand today. In fact, society is taking more of an Anti-Federalist approach, with a push for decentralization in the modern age from governance to technology. I see the elites of society in the United States treating the Constitution as a prop or largely irrelevant to their aims within the modern age. With economics being largely global, the push for Anti-Federalism becomes even more relevant in how we look at global affairs as a society. While the Anti-Federalists were largely correct in their predictions as to how the government would turn out, the Federalists were correct in their predictions as to the nature of factions. What they failed to consider or did not foresee was proliferation of the conspiracy theory mobilizing the faction to actual violence. The political parties are even further split into smaller factions, making it seem as though they can’t get the process of governing done. I am of the thought process the debates that occurred in the 1700s are even more slightly modified to represent something different than what is portrayed in the media landscape. What I learned in the process of taking this class is the Vice President can only count the Electoral College votes, he cannot switch electors like what was presented by the 45th President. I also learned that Treason is only applicable during a time of declared war. The thing about representation guaranteed by the US Constitution is Congress fits the definition of the natural aristocracy defined by Melancton Smith. With the wealthy contributing a great deal of money through Super PAC groups surrounded by circular prestige. The poor and what’s left of the Middle Class is left out of representation through a great deal of diminished influence. As super wealthy Senators and Congressman continue to chip away at rights guaranteed through the constitution through legislation. The Supreme Court who goes along with it, the US Constitution will ultimately become less relevant in the eyes of the average person, as most are just trying to survive economically. They are kept too busy to be able to research what the three branches of government are doing to take action about the situation they find themselves in with their liberties.

Middleton Idaho Homeowners file complaint against Idaho Power in the Idaho Public Utilities Commission

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho A complaint filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, outlines how Idaho Power, allegedly refused to apply the grandfather clause to Solar Generation customers Sara and Matthew Hartzheim of Middleton Idaho. In the complaint, they point out their home had burned down due to an electrical fire, “Unfortunately, on 5/17/22 our family experienced an electrical fire which destroyed our home and with it our solar array.” The complaint further detailed how Idaho Power informed them that if they could not take care of the situation in 6 months, they would lose grandfather status. It was also pointed out that the rules were governed by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The order that Idaho Power cited, which was IPE-E-18-15,order no. 34546 covers four areas: 1) A customer who moves into a property with a grandfathered net-metering system gets to "inherit" the grandfathered status of the system. Likewise, when a customer moves from a property with a grandfathered system, that customer does not get to take the grandfathered status of the system with them to their ne×t property. 2) If a system is offline for more than six months, or it is moved to another site, the grandfathered status of the system is forfeited. 3) To allow for the replacement of degraded or broken panels, the customer may increase the capacity of the grandfathered system by no more than10% of the originally installed nameplate capacity or 1 kW, whichever is greater. 4) Grandfathered status terminates December 20, 2045 In the same order, there were several motions to reconsider for the purpose of having the grandfather clause be cited by the customer instead of the system. According to the Press Release issued for the order, it said,

20200206Press Release IPC E 18 15 by Mark Reinhardt on Scribd

In the complaint, the Hartzheim’s point out they had done their due diligence in notifying the Utilities of their situation. Filing the complaint with IPUC on the basis they believe their situation was not handled fairly pursuant to the rules,

20220920Formal Complaint Redacted by Mark Reinhardt on Scribd

In Idaho Power’s written answer to the complaint, they outlined several reasons why they could not accommodate the Middleton Homeowners,

20221102 Answer by Mark Reinhardt

More information to come, as soon as its available. Update: January, 14th 2023 The Idaho Public Utility Commission ruled in favor of the Middleton Homeowners citing circumstances relating to the facts of the case. They further mention in the order, it is a one time application, of an exemption to a previous order on file with the Commission.

20221230Final_Order_No_35651 by Mark Reinhardt on Scribd

Editorial: Capitalism and Western Governments have a credibility problem

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho The two beacons of Capitalism, the United Kingdom and the United States have used force to serve the interests of the wealthy in other parts of the world. Whether through Military force, or through theft of natural resources, Capitalism and Western Governments have a credibility problem when it comes to the claim that interactions are done through voluntary consent. There is also the issue of Fraud and the enforcement of laws on the books to punish bad behavior. This is largely an issue of allowing corporations to become so powerful they can capture regulatory system to do the bidding of their interests. There was enough evidence reported by news outlets of Fraud by Big Banks in Capitalist countries, however governments declined to prosecute. Instead, bailouts are given to favored industries in return for political favors. When vulnerable communities are impacted by the malfeasance of corporate practices around the world and here at home. The impact remains loss of liberty in the case of an attorney who sued Chevron. The destruction of entire towns due to poor environmental practices by the production of toxic resources. Eventually, the world is going to transition from Capitalism to something else entirely. What that looks like will be up to the people to decide.

Executive Order 14067 to direct research into the creation of Central Bank Digital Currencies

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho As of this year, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 140671, directing the Federal Reserve System, to research Central Bank Digital Currencies. This was done through a joint initiative of the Boston Federal Reserve and MIT called, “Project Hamilton.”2 Named after the first Treasury Secretary of the United States of America, who also was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers. In a report issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology3, “This report does not make any assessments or recommendations about whether a U.S. CBDC should be pursued.” It wrote a paragraph discussing the feasibility of implementing the system if it were deemed to be in the national interest. The report makes mention that Federal agencies would have to realign its process and methods for its systems to work with the CBDC’s. Addressing access to the system for marginalized groups, it makes mention that offline capability should be incorporated, and the role of cash should be preserved. As of June 10th, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta posted a webinar on Project Hamilton to its YouTube Page, explaining things in more detail. Project Hamilton’s source code is listed as Open Source on Git Hub, according to the Boston Federal Reserve website. The United States Treasury Department defines a payment system as, “a set of rules and processes for transferring money.” The report from the Treasury Department defining payment systems titled, The Future of Money and Payments4 outlines distinctions for CBDC’s, “First, CBDC would be legal tender. Second, it would convertible one-to-one into reserve balances or paper currency.” The report further elaborates that the digital currency would be used mainly for large transactions. According to an article written by Vipin Bharahan in Forbes Magazine5, he makes mention that the design is like Bitcoin, but different. He points out the challenge for Project Hamilton’s creators is to access data not available in the core system without violating privacy, “Implementing privacy preserving architecture deeper into the guts of the core infrastructure as well as into the wallets themselves may solve these choices. These may include zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption protocols. These are seen as worthy goals for Phase II.” Homomorphic encryption is defined as a type of encryption method that allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without first decrypting it with a secret key. The slang term used is known as “Biden Bucks” nicknamed after the President. An advertisement for a company called Paradigm Press, featured prominently in some YouTube videos, invoke fears of a power grab through Project Hamilton. Further elaborating in this ad, it makes mention of financial surveillance by the government through this technology. The US Federal Government already monitors financial transactions of six hundred dollars and above without Digital Currency. The website Snopes6 already found the claim by Paradigm Press to be false, even pointing to the fact the Executive Order was concerned with preserving Democratic Safeguards should a CBDC be implemented. The White House Office of Science and Technology report also made mention the need to safeguard Civil and Human rights of account holders. As of now, the ways of making financial payments are Cash, Check, Credit Card, Debit Card, and Crypto Currencies. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Sources: 1. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/03/14/2022-05471/ensuring-responsible-development-of-digital-assets 2. https://www.bostonfed.org/-/media/Documents/Project-Hamilton/Project-Hamilton-Phase-1-Whitepaper.pdf 3. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2022/09/16/technical-possibilities-for-a-u-s-central-bank-digital-currency/ 4. https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Future-of-Money-and-Payments.pdf 5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/vipinbharathan/2022/02/09/project-hamilton-on-the-report-published-by-the-boston-fed-and-mit/?sh=5771b52d1d83 6. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/executive-order-14067-biden-bucks/

Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Research in the works at the Idaho National Laboratory

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho A form of Nuclear Reactor long used on U.S. Navy ships is being researched for commercial use in different parts of the world, including Utah and Idaho. An SMR, or Small Modular Reactor 1, is being built at the Idaho National Laboratory through a partnership with NuScale Power for the purpose of commercial power generation. This initiative is being built through the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, or UAMPS for short. It is a cooperative group of municipalities whose purpose is to finance electric utilities. The Carbon Free Power Project is an initiative funded by UAMPS, spanning multiple states. In Idaho, it covers the area of Idaho Falls to the city of Twin Falls.

Wood MacKenzie is a Corporate Research Firm for the Mining and Energy Sectors. According to an article written by Green Tech Media, a Wood MacKenzie corporation website, the development of SMR technology had run into regulatory hurdles with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. One issue mentioned was that of technological designs. The article stated, “Many SMR designs use novel technologies and construction techniques, and regulators have to issue licenses based on developer proposals rather than real-life plants.” Citing a Boise State University study 2, the economic benefits of the SMR Power Plants were listed as: • Estimated 1,600 jobs created over the construction period of the plant. • Through indirect and induced effects, plant operations will add a total of 667 jobs in the region each year over the estimated 40–to 60-year lifetime of the facility. • Plant operations are estimated to increase labor income in the region by nearly $48 million. • Increase economic output in the region by an estimated $81.15 million. • Add $2.97 million to local and state tax revenues annually. • Add $10.86 million to federal tax revenues annually. In an email, Diane Hughes, Vice President of Communications and Marketing for NuScale Power, discussed the current project timeline, “Commercial operation dates are dictated by the customer. As UAMPS has worked through a new comprehensive budget and plan of finance for the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), it has revised the project schedule to align with the timing of UAMPS Member energy needs and other financial and project developments.” In a video posted to its YouTube channel, NuScale Power described the environmental footprint of various forms of power sources on land use. Proponents of Nuclear Power have argued that Small Modular Reactors can mitigate the impacts of climate change. However, according to a paper issued by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists,3 “There is no realistic prospect that small modular reactors can make a significant dent in the need to transition rapidly to a carbon-free electricity system. To invest in them is to throw good money after bad. “ In the paper, it stated that there was still a great deal of risk from accidents and nuclear proliferation from SMR’s. It also pointed out that the US Government was fined billions of dollars for its failure to clean up spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors it had already built. In addressing the issue of Nuclear Waste from its SMR devices, Diane Hughes of Nuscale Power said, “The NuScale plant design incorporates proven safe, secure, and effective used fuel management systems. Used fuel is stored underwater in a stainless steel lined concrete pool for at least five years.” She did not discuss plans for storage of the used fuel after that five-year period. The lifespan of the SMR is set at 60 years according to NuScale Power. https://web.evs.anl.gov/uranium/faq/uproperties/faq5.cfm Healthy Environmental Alliance of Utah had a study commissioned by financial firm Energy Strategies4 related to the NuScale project. They covered five different energy portfolios related to energy output and cost. All the portfolio’s, including the ones with Carbon based energy, added as a mix with solar and wind energy, were found to be cheaper than the inclusion of the Small Modular Reactors.

https://s24.q4cdn.com/104943030/files/doc_downloads/factsheet/NuScale-SAFER-Fact-Sheet.pdf NuScale Power offers power plants ranging in size from utilizing 1 to as many as 12 modules. “Each NuScale Power Module™ (NPM) can generate 77 megawatts electricity (MWe).”5 The Idaho National Laboratory in a report, focused on the premise of Nuclear Power replacing Coal generated Power Plants. The case study summary found the State of Montana was receptive to replacing a Coal Powered Plant with a Nuclear Power Plant at one of the rural communities in the area.

Transitioning Coal Plants t... by Mark Reinhardt

In October 2020, S&P Market Intelligence described how power shutdowns due to water shortages caused by climate change can cause Power Plants to shut down. 6Not every municipality in the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems service area decided to stay with the Carbon Free Power Project. The City of Logan Utah, pulled out according to S&P Market Intelligence, “The Logan City Council's resolution cited "increased projected costs" as the primary reason for the city's withdrawal.”7 As the cost of building Nuclear Power plants continues to go up, the cost of renewables continues to go down. The effort continues to revive the aging nuclear industry by using public dollars. The NuScale Corporation project titled, “The Carbon Free Power Project” is expected to come online in 2029, in Idaho Falls. 1 https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/so-what-exactly-are-small-modular-nuclear-reactors 2 https://www.nuscalepower.com/projects/carbon-free-power-project 3 https://www.inrag.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Can-small-modular-reactors-help-mitigate-climate-change.pdf 4https://www.healutah.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Energy-Strategies-Study_Analyzing-the-Cost-of-Small-Modular-Reactors-and-Alternative-Power-Portfolios.pdf 5https://s24.q4cdn.com/104943030/files/doc_downloads/factsheet/nuscale-smr-fact-sheet.pdf 6 https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/climate-change-poses-big-water-risks-for-nuclear-fossil-fueled-plants-60669992 7 https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/utah-city-abandons-small-modular-reactor-project-60077135