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Remember last year at the SuperBowl and one of the most controversial ads was the “He Gets Us” ad focusing on Jesus? It recently caught my attention again and it made me think about it all over with…

Questions Swirl Around Would-Be Trump Assassin’s Ukrainian Ties [WATCH]

The “Great Replacement” theory alleges a deliberate plan to replace European culture with immigrant populations.  Some argue this theory is supported by figures like Renaud Camus and Peter Sutherland however Iain Davis […]

Though stuffed peppers typically contain ground beef, this recipe takes a cheesy, salmon-filled approach.

The FBI has confirmed that it is “investigating what appeared to be an ‘attempted assassination’ on former president Donald Trump” at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The incident occurred on Sunday shortly [...] The post FBI Investigate Second Assassination Attempt On Donald Trump appeared first on The People's Voice.

Any parent can tell you that taking care of a newborn is far from easy, but at least this mother has some company during sleepless nights! Brooke Thomson captured the sweetest footage of her dog, Cedar, staying awake with her while she sat up with the baby. Even though it was three in the morning, this pooch had to make sure that Mom was ok. Now that’s a true best friend! In the adorable video, Brooke was cradling her newborn when, all of a sudden, the dog appeared at her side. Cedar looked a little concerned about the situation, so she came over to investigate. First, the pup gave Mom a quick sniff to see how she was doing. Then, she moved on to the baby. This sweet pooch stood staring at the infant for a long while, as if she wanted to see for herself that the child was well. Mom was so moved by the thoughtful pup! @brookethomo Through the cluster feeding nights and the early morning wake-ups, shes been there too, just awake and silently waiting by my side @Cedarandsprinkle ♬ original sound – Claire Boyer “Through the cluster feeding nights and early morning wake-ups, she’s been there too, just awake and silently waiting by my side,” Brooke wrote in her caption. This precious video has received 13 million views online! Commenters totally fell in love with this protective pooch. One person suggested that, as a female, Cedar might have some motherly instincts of her own. “Girl dogs and babies,” they wrote. “It’s just something about them, like they want to be your child’s caretaker too.” Screengrab from TikTok Another person noticed that, although the dog was clearly concerned about the newborn, Mom was the pup’s first priority. “She checked on you, Momma, then checked on the baby,” they said. “She will love you both till the end of time.” What a special connection this woman and her dog have! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post New Mom & Dog Share Sweetest Moment With Newborn At 3AM appeared first on InspireMore.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In Oakland, California, a trailblazing initiative is changing the face of renewable transportation and energy. At a former industrial site in East Oakland, 74 electric school buses serve as a symbol of the future, in which buses not only cut harmful emissions but also help to stabilize the power system. Zum, a San Francisco-based startup, envisions converting electric school bus fleets into battery systems capable of feeding energy back into the grid during peak demand periods. “Today marks the next phase in our evolution,” said Ritu Narayan, CEO and co-founder of Zum, during the official launch event for the country’s first all-electric school bus fleet. By merging clean transportation with energy storage, Narayan intends to establish Zum as both a transportation service provider and a prominent participant in the energy industry. Revolutionizing school transportation Zum already provides transportation services to several large school districts in the United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino. Their goal is to electrify 10,000 school buses within the next four years. This initiative aims to reduce considerable carbon emissions while improving air quality for students and communities. Narayan believes that the 74 electric buses transporting Oakland’s special-needs kids will reduce emissions by 25,000 tons, a huge step toward cleaner air and healthier communities. She points out that replacing the United States’ 500,000 diesel school buses with electric alternatives could save an estimated 8.4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. However, the shift to electric is not without bumps in the road. Electric school buses cost two to three times more than diesel buses. Federal, state, and utility incentives have helped to offset some of these expenses, but just under two percent of the national school bus fleet has gone electric as of mid-2024. This is where vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can make a significant difference. Vehicle-to-grid tech: powering more than just the roads V2G technology enables electric vehicles to not only consume power but also return unused energy to the grid during peak demand periods. School buses are ideal for this because they spend the majority of their time parked after finishing their morning and afternoon runs. During downtime, they can charge using cheaper, off-peak power, primarily from California’s surplus solar energy, and then discharge electricity when the grid is overloaded in the late afternoon and evening. According to the California Energy Commission, converting all 25,000 school buses in the state to electric power may generate more than a gigawatt of electricity. Electric school buses have enormous potential, making them a significant asset not only for schools but also for the state’s energy infrastructure. PG&E, California’s largest utility, was instrumental in bringing Zum’s Oakland project to life. “PG&E was able to step up to the challenge and deliver the energy to power these buses—and we were able to do it a year early,” says Patti Poppe, PG&E’s CEO. This agreement assures that electric buses can assist in alleviating the grid during peak periods, which is an important benefit as California’s energy demand grows. Scaling V2G projects nationwide Zum’s electric bus fleet is the largest V2G project of its kind in the United States, but it is not the only one. Other states are experimenting with similar technology. Highland Electric Fleets signed the country’s largest electric school bus contract in Montgomery County, Maryland, and will deploy the first commercial-scale V2G project in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 2022. Companies such as Nuvve and Fermata Energy are launching similar schemes in Colorado, Illinois, and others. However, the main problem is to make V2G initiatives financially feasible. Utility programs and energy markets that can generate consistent profits from V2G projects are still in their early stages, making it difficult for school districts and transportation providers to forecast earnings. California’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP), which pays $2,000 per megawatt-hour during grid outages, is one such endeavor to promote V2G use. However, developing a long-term economic model around these occasional events remains challenging. That’s why PG&E and Zum are developing a pilot program to produce dynamic rates that reward school buses for charging during off-peak hours and discharging during peak hours. “We want to know exactly how much money we can make from charging to the grid,” Narayan said. Making electric buses economically viable Zum has already made tremendous progress in lowering the initial price of its electric bus services by combining many federal and state incentives. Zum’s COO and co-founder, Vivek Garg, says the company was able to “buy down the cost of this project by 50 percent” through grants and rebates. This helped Zum to earn a five-year, $11.2 million contract with the Oakland Unified School District, which offers the same cost as traditional diesel buses. A substantial chunk of the financing came from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program, which was established by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Zum won $26.5 million to buy 80 electric buses, ten of which are now part of Oakland’s fleet. The California Air Resources Board and PG&E provided further funds. Looking to the future Zum’s ambition is to spread this idea across the country, electrifying over 200 buses in the San Francisco Unified School District by 2025 and assisting Los Angeles in converting its 450 buses. As the Oakland initiative advances, it will serve as a proof-of-concept for other utilities and regulators across the United States.The post How the nation’s largest electric school bus fleet will also power the grid first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.