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Terry
The real cost of solar and wind energy
December 2025
Let me begin this post by emphasizing that I am a BIG supporter of renewable energy – wind, solar and hydro. I think it is critically important for human and ecosystem survival to reduce (and certainly not increase) the amount of CO2 we dump into the atmosphere.
However, many fellow environmentalists underestimate the cost of solar and wind and refuse to look at viable zero carbon solutions due to ideological blinders.
The headlines often proclaim that the cost of electricity per kilo watt hour (KWH) is now cheaper for solar than for almost any other means to produce grid quantities of energy. However, this initial low-cost installation masks real and increasing costs. These costs are related to the familiar restraint that ‘sometimes the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine’. Other times the wind blows stronger, and the sun shines longer than our capacity to effectively put this energy to use. When this happens those managing the grid are forced to shut down portions of the alternate energy production. In a sense wasting the energy and at best not producing the electricity that the technologies could be producing. This is referred to as ‘energy curtailment’ – when alternate energy production is intentionally reduced so as not to overload the grid.
Estimates of the global amount of curtailment vary and are increasing annually. Globally curtailments are estimated at about 3% (Novan & Wang, 2024) of total alternate energy production. However, there are huge regional and national variations and further, the amount of curtailment has been increasing as more energy from wind and especially solar comes on line. See figure 1
Thus reliable, 24 hour a day backup power must be built to match with large wind and solar generation. The use fossil-fuel producers to serve as backup is very expensive. No one wants to build a methane or coal fueled plant that only operates for a portion of the day. Almost all power coal, petroleum and nuclear power plants only become efficient when producing at near capacity levels, 24 hours a day.
So how do we integrate and even expand wind and solar energy without having to waste increasing amount of energy? An obvious answer is to increase the size (think national or contentment or intercontinental scale) grids such that wind or sun in one region can be matched with cloudy conditions, doldrums or nighttime in other areas. But this can be very expensive, and transportation of electricity is not without cost. A second option is to build very large batteries that can store this excess energy until it is needed. But we know from the costs (money and environmental) of creating batteries for electric cars and trucks that battery construction is not inexpensive and not without environmental cost. Further, the scale needed for grid batteries is much larger, than for vehicles. A third and viable solution in some regions is hydro storage. Pumping water uphill to storage lakes and then using the downflow to power generators when more power is needed. Unfortunately, not every geography has large wind and solar capacity located close to hills or mountains where this water can be stored.
If one were to talk to the Alberta Premier or members of her government, the perfect solution is to burn more of Alberts’s ‘clean’ natural gas – which I prefer to call methane. These proponents seem to think that burning methane (or other petroleum products), coupled with the environmental cost and energy expenditures to bring these to market, though much cleaner than coal, is harmless. However, the major contributor to rising CO2 levels in Canada is oil and methane mining, production and distribution.
Is there an Alternative?
So where does that leave us? Maybe tidal power in very specific locations or the elephant in the room – nuclear power generation.
We all fear major blowout or explosions and release of harmful radiation from nuclear power plants. There has been three major and very well publicized nuclear accidents in 50 plus years of nuclear power generation. Chernobyl (1986) with 79 confirmed deaths, 3,000 est. from long term radiation deaths, Three Mile Island (1979) – 0 deaths; Fukishimo (2011) 1 confirmed, 2,300 deaths from stress and evacuation. These numbers are tiny compared to the 120,000 deaths annually in the USA alone (National Institute of Health, 2023) from air pollution caused by coal energy production. Yes, nuclear waste must be disposed of and uranium mines need to be cleaned up when they cease production, but again compared to coal or oil, these are minor challenges.
So why don’t we use nuclear technology more? Ignoring the conspiracy theories (perhaps true) that big oil and petro states do NOT want to see the end of petroleum burning, There are more than a few challenges that must be overcome before widescale use.
The most frequently sited reason is that the construction of nuclear power stations is expensive and take a long time – or at least they used to. In North America, only 1 commercial nuclear plant has been commissioned in the 25 years of this century, thus the data we use to calculate costs and time required, is based on 20th century technology and construction techniques. These two Plant Vogle reactors came online in 2023-24, years late and 3 times over budget for a cost of about $15,000 US per KWH. By comparison equally large South Korean and Chines reactors are coming online for between $1,800-$2,300 per KWH. The Koreans have also built commercial scale reactors in less than 3 years. (data from ChatGPT)
The hype machine has, in the past few years, been championing the potential of new types of nuclear reactor SMRs (Small Modular Reactors). These systems promise all sorts of potential benefit – factory manufacture using standardized components, recycling of spent fuel, passive safety systems that guarantee shut down in case of any environmental or man-made emergency and low-cost transportation by truck, rail or ship. These SMRs are also designed and sized for all sorts of commercial, mining, residential and military applications.
These “potential” reactors, especially those with radically different designs, from the pressurized water-cooled designs in use today, have been criticized because so few (only one so far in China) have been constructed and are in operation today. Of course, USA, UK and Russia have been building small reactors for decades to power war ships and submarines. But commercial power production cannot rely on zillion dollar defense budgets.
Rather than innovate, governments and industry has focused for the past 4 decades on building safer (backups, for the backups, for the backups) older designs rather than innovating and building new reactors using new technologies. This is changing. But resistance is still strong.
Looking specifically at the Alberta context, where I live, we are home to the Alberta oil sands, third largest proven oil reserves in the world and the largest single producer of CO2 emissions in Canada. The high cost of extraction and processing, coupled with the added CO2 produced when the product is burned in homes and highways, means Alberta has a HUGE carbon footprint. Trial ballons for nuclear power in Northern Alberta have been raised twice but opposition from the petro industry, environmentalists and at best tepid support from government has, to date, stalled any real planning much less construction.
The Environmental Movement is Changing Course on Nuclear (slowly).
After shutting down all the nuclear plants in Germany, the government was forced to reactivate a number of coal mines due to the Russian oil and methane curtailment. The Germans as well as most EU countries are rethinking their energy production strategies. The Green party in Finland has adopted a pro-nuclear power policy but most other green parties in Europe remain opposed. Green Peace remains opposed as does the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility. However the Canadians for Nuclear Energy are strong nuclear power advocates and especially of the Canadian designed and built CANDU reactors.
Summary
Nuclear power isn’t perfect – no energy source is pollution free. However, some (wind, solar, hydro and nuclear) power generation systems do not directly produce C02 minimal other harmful emissions. Thus, if we are to continue building a society that enjoys (and is dependent) on power generation for sustainability and convenience – we must continue to deploy carbon free production systems – including nuclear. Wind and solar need reliable backup.
References:
Novan, K., & Wang, Y. (2024). Estimates of the marginal curtailment rates for solar and wind generation. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 124, 102930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2024.102930
Six weeks ago I received a very surprising email from Prof. Carla Padel de Oliviera the Rector of Universidade Aberta (Portugal Open University). She invited Susan and me to come to Lisbon where I was to be awarded a Doctorat Honoris Causa.
Of course, the first thing I had to do was to ask Google what this degree was all about. I found it is the equivalent of the Honourary Doctorate awarded at most Canadian Universities. In Google’s words ”The Doctorat honoris causa (D.hc) is an award conferred by a University to individuals who have made outstanding achievements in fields like academics, culture, or humanitarian efforts, or have made significant contributions to the state, nation, or world.”
Once I recovered from the shock I recalled my 4 or 5 visits, over the years, to Universidade Aberta and the colleagues and friends I have met as a member of an International Advisory Committee for LE@D – the University’s Distance Education and eLearning Laboratory. I also played a very minor roles in a couple of EU research projects led by the University.
To be honest, like many academics, I had held a very secret ambition or maybe just a faint hope, that I would someday be awarded such an honour. It is perhaps the nicest way to finish any academic career. However, I never shared this aspiration with anyone and never stayed awake at night plotting to get such an award. One does not fill out an application for such a degree. But when and if and when it happens – well, what can you say but “muito abrigada.” (MANY thanks in Portugese)
This all happened a few weeks just before Susan and I left for a three-week holiday and conference of the World Conference of the International Council for Distance Education in New Zealand. This was a great holiday but five days after we arrived home, we were due to leave for Portugal. A first order of business was to get my suit dry cleaned, shoes polished and to develop a Graduate Research seminar for the Masters and Doctoral students in e-learning research at the University. I understood that I didn’t have to do much in the actual award ceremony. However, after I arrived, I found that a response to the award was expected – but no more than 25 minutes! I am a professor, so I can usually profess about almost anything without too much trouble for less than 25 minutes. Beyond that, I didn’t know what to expect – but I thought I could at least tell a few stories and say a heart-felt thanks.
The Trip and Lisbon
The trip with Air Canada was thankfully unremarkable except that the passport machines at the airport in Lisbon refused to accept my passport. The same thing happened on the way home, necessitating long lines to talk to a human Customs Agents. Perhaps my passport is getting as tired of International travel as I am, though the passport gets to be reborn in 2027!
We arrived, on time, after eleven hours in the air, on a sunny Sunday morning in Lisbon. I managed to prebook an Uber ride to the hotel, which turned out be remarkably easy and the driver was very friendly. Sadly, I didn’t get the message that the University had a driver waiting to pick us up. I’m not used that type of service.
Casa de Sao Mamede
Our hotel was located in an 18th century mansion – the Casa de Sao Mamede on Rue de Escola Politicnia – not far from the University of Lisbon and next door to the Palace that houses the executive offices of Universidade Aberta. Our room had 12 foot ceilings, 14 inch stone walls and a number of small ‘reading rooms”. The only thing missing was an elevator, but the staircase was broad and richly carpeted. We have stayed in too many ‘modern hotels’ – so this one was a real treat.
Lisbon Christmas market
After a brief nap, we headed to the old town and a visit of a European Christmas Market. Of course, we had some hot mulled wine and managed to NOT buy any more Christmas ornaments, nor pay for a photo with Santa’s elves. We noticed and appreciated the 30 deg. C. increase in temperature from Edmonton – though Lisboners were complaining of the cold!
After unpacking, we realized that we had forgotten to pack my suit jacket, so the first item of business on Monday was to find a men’s clothing store and buy a new suit jacket. I have been trying to de-clutter my closet of sports coats (without a great deal of success) since I retired. Luckily, I managed to resist purchasing the 1,000 Euro jacket and escaped – down only 100 Euros. The closet now has a new sibling.
We ended the afternoon at the Lisbon Botanical Gardens.
Lisbon Botanical Gardens
It was the most ‘well labeled” botanical garden that we had ever visited and featured Europe’s largest collection of palm trees – over 70 species ranging from 5 foot bushes to 25 meter giants. That night we dined with our major host and the director of the LE@D centre, António Teixeira and his wife Maria do Carmo at a traditional Portuguese restaurant. I’ve learned to like eating squid!
The Award Ceremony
Tuesday was the big ceremony. We slept in and after a walk Susan helped me practice my speech. The Award Ceremony was held on Universidade Aberta Day- an annual celebration of the University’s founding – this year their 37th. As typically, the hundred or so gowned academics all lined up to proceed into the Hall – only here they file in not by faculty, but in order of rank at the University. The procession was led by the Rector and myself, followed by other members of the platform party. A great 8 piece choir welcomed us in.
Unlike most Canadian convocation award ceremonies, there were no students receiving graduation certificates. The Rector first gave a speech (thankfully with a paper English translation copy for me). This was followed with achievement awards to two Masters degree graduates and two PhD graduates and certificates were awarded to retiring staff members. Finally, the Portuguese Secretary of State for Higher Education brought greetings and congratulations to the University on its anniversary from the government.
The second half began with the singing of the University Anthem, in harmony, by the choir. My friend Antonio Teixeira then introduced me (in Portuguese), so I am not sure what he said, but no doubt it was somewhat over-exaggerated. Next, a faculty member from Porto, Isabel Huet e Silva, whom I had not met gave an equally long overview of my career and contributions to distance education and e-learning. She told me that she had spent a few hours going through my 35-page CV. When they had asked me for a copy of this CV, I didn’t think they really needed, or wanted, the “the full meal deal” – so I sent a two-page AI generated summary. But she wanted the whole thing.
Then it was my turn.
The Rector and her assistant “gowned me” and presented me with graduate certificate and a chain (representing the Doctor degree) to hang around my neck – then the podium was mine.
I confess to being a wee bit teary-eyed, but managed to get though the speech. I was a bit overwhelmed with the long, standing ovation and clapping from the 200 or so attendees that concluded the event. The ceremony ended with another choir selection and we marched out.
Luckily, outside the hall, I was handed a glass of port and survived the reception line – with many congratulatory comments and photos.
Screenshot
The day ended with drinks and a dinner hosted by the Rector with a number of the Vice Rectors, the platform party, and of course Susan and I.
What a day! I learned that the University had only awarded 8 of these degrees in its 35-year history. I joined Canadians Sir John Daniel and my friend Tony Bates with this honour, but I note that I am the first recipient of this award, from Universiade Aberta, who was not born in Europe.
Graduate Seminar
The next day, I gave a graduate student seminar. It was entitled “Encontro com o Professor Terry Anderson – Projecting the Futures of Research in Open, Distance and Digital Education.” Of course I talked too much, however, the 80 or so attendees (70 via zoom, including a couple of long-time Portuguese friends from elsewhere in the world) seemed to enjoy the talk. It was based partially on slides I had created with help from my friend Rory McGreal and AI). The talk focused on the impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) on educational research production and publication. I have posted the slides on Slideshare. There were lots of good questions.
One of the problems with getting old and now talking about AI in education, is that many of these students have read my earlier articles and books. And now, they want to know what impact AI will have on those ideas. Great questions, but ones I haven’t really thought about – I suppose (and hope) leaving them lots of papers to write!
Finally, Lina Margado, a former Director of the LE@D centre who had first invited me to the University years ago, gave me a photo album, documenting my visits to the University over the years. – An invaluable memory gift!
Conclusion
On the way home, I was reminded of a graffiti message that I had read 38 years ago when I was working on my Master’s degree at the University of Oregon. It was inscribed on the grout (with other grouty quotes), between the tiles in a stall in the men’s bathroom in a pub near the university. It read:
“Some men strive for groutness, others have it thrust upon them”.
I hope I will always remain humble enough to count myself in the later group.
PS. The University invited a number of diplomats to this event (Lisbon is the capital of Portugal). The Canadian ambassador didn’t show, but Susan was seated beside the Turkish Ambassador. At the end of the ceremony he turned to her and said ‘I assume you are Terry’s wife?” “We have a saying in my country: ‘Behind every strong man, there is a strong woman’. This is true in Canada as well as Turkey and I am a very lucky guy!
I’m not immune from the relentless hype (and warnings from multiple perspectives) about generalized AI, AI enhanced browsers and AI customized for specific applications.
Therefore, I couldn’t resist spending a few minutes checking out an AI app – Answerthis.io specifically aimed at researchers and students – see https://answerthis.io/
Not being overly modest (to say the least) I decided to ask a question about an idea that I had and paper I wrote over 20 years ago (Anderson, T. (2003). Getting the mix right again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction – International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4(2).
The paper achieved modest success (1100 citations) which was a bit surprising as I wasn’t really sure there really was a learning equivalency between content interaction; student/teacher interaction; and student-student interaction. Moreover, I wasn’t sure how this ‘theory’ could be empirically validated nor disproved. However, over the years a number of researchers (aided in no small part by my Japanese colleague Terumi Miyazoke) have used it and seems to have been useful – perhaps most noticeably for financially pressed distance education administrators trying to create affordable (and thus accessible) learning opportunities.
So I asked Answerthis.io “What is useful about Anderson’s Interaction equivalency theory?”
It examined 93 papers in a minute or two and came back with more indicators of usefulness than I could remember. The resulting “answer” is as follows:
______________________________________________________________
“Anderson’s Interaction Equivalency Theory” (also known as the Interaction Equivalency Theorem, or EQuiv) is a significant conceptual framework in online and distance education. At its core, it states that “deep and meaningful learning is supported as long as one of three forms of interaction (student-teacher, student-student, student-content) is at a high level; the other two may be offered at minimal levels or even eliminated without degrading the educational experience.” The theory recognizes that sustaining all forms of interaction at maximum levels may not always be feasible due to constraints such as time, resources, and institutional scale, especially in online or blended environments.
Key Benefits and Usefulness of Anderson’s Theory
Flexible Course Design and Resource Allocation:
EQuiv allows educational designers and institutions to focus resources and instructional efforts where they are most impactful. If strong interaction can be established in one domain (e.g., through rich content or peer collaboration), then the other types may be comparatively minimized without a loss in learning quality. For instance, in very large courses where teacher-student interactions are limited, enhanced student-content or student-student interactions can compensate, enabling scalability without compromising outcomes[1].
Personalization and Adaptation:
The theory provides a rationale to adapt interaction according to the specific needs and circumstances of different learner groups, such as non-traditional or part-time students who may not engage frequently with instructors but can benefit from alternative interaction forms[2].
Practical Framework for Blended and Online Learning:
It offers educators a guide to make informed decisions on which instructional tools or approaches to use, justifying, for instance, the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) to enhance interaction and accessibility, allowing for key educational goals (like participation and learning engagement) to be met even if instructor interaction is limited[1].
Supports Student Satisfaction and Achievement:
Empirical and conceptual studies support the application of EQuiv in raising learner satisfaction, reducing attrition risk in distance education settings, and increasing course completion rates particularly when strong “interaction presence” is maintained in at least one channel[2].
Guides Risk Identification and Intervention:
The theory isn’t just for course designers—it can be used by institutions to develop risk profiles of students potentially at risk of dropping out, enabling targeted interventions where interaction is lacking[2].
Extends Beyond Structured Courses:
Although EQuiv originated in distance and online learning, it has potential applications in other higher education contexts, such as the master-apprentice model in doctoral education. By compensating for limited supervisor (S2T) interaction with enhanced content or peer interactions, EQuiv addresses issues of isolation and supports deeper learning[2].
Efficient Use of Learning Technologies:
By focusing on maximizing one type of interaction, it provides a rationale for the use of asynchronous content, peer forums, or automated feedback systems—tools essential for scaling and accessibility in digital education[1].
Framework for Ongoing Research and Development:
The theory has stimulated further research into interaction dynamics, informing both empirical investigations and theoretical development around how different forms of interaction contribute to learning, motivation, and retention in virtual environments[1], [2].
Facilitates Deep and Meaningful Learning:
The focus on ensuring at least one robust interaction provides conceptual and empirical support for deep cognitive engagement, even when all three modes are not maximally present. This is crucial for the design of effective massive open online courses (MOOCs) and large-scale distance education where teacher-student contact is inherently limited.
Guides Implementation of New Educational Models:
EQuiv justifies the structural design decisions in “flipped classrooms,” blended courses, and synchronous/asynchronous online programs, providing a theoretical foundation for deliberate reduction or enhancement of interaction modes based on course goals, audience, and technological affordances[1].
In summary, Anderson’s Interaction Equivalency Theory is useful because it offers a flexible, evidence-based, and scalable framework for online, blended, and distance education. By clarifying how and where to invest instructional resources, it enables educators and institutions to optimize learning outcomes, enhance satisfaction, reduce attrition, and adapt to diverse learner needs across multiple educational contexts[1], [2“
__________________________________________
My takeaways:
Sue and I returned last week from a two week trip to Portugal. All and all it was a good trip and Portugal certainly is a great country- terrific scenery, lots of medieval to modern history and terrific scenery. However, a lesson learned is to not travel with a medical doctor. They tend to pack Covid test kits and what you thought was a cold, caught on the plane ,turned out to be covid! Which wasn’t all that bad but certainly slowed us down for the first week.
In this post I highlight four items of particular interest. The the impact of hyper tourism, the opportunity to witness the Freedom March, the ride on a nineteenth century funicular and visit to Bon Jesus Do Monte, and driving a rental car via GPS when the power goes out across the country.
Hyper Tourism.
I have been to Portugal 3 or 4 times previously in my role as a member of the International Advisory Committee for the online learning research group at the Universitat Aberta- Portuguese’s Open University. A big difference between these trips and now is the major tourist sites are over-run with tourists. Mostly grey haired boomers, and often in large groups – off the cruise boats, riverboats or buses. Many of us are in the “Go-Go” state of retirement, looking at Slow-Go in a few years and NO-GO there after. So we are off to Europe! Of course I realize that we are apart of the problem with excess tourists, bit this didn’t squash our enjoyment of this remarkable country.
We went on a walking tour of the old town (Alfama) in Lisbon. The guide related the chronology of invasions (with the year) that marked Portuguese history – from the Phoenicians, to the Romans, from the Spanish to the Visigoths, from Moors to the fascists. At a break I asked when the invasion of the tourists happened. He instantly replied – 2017.
We went on a great drive through the Douro River valley – mind boggling scenery with terrace vineyards, classic old port wineries and beautiful river scenes. We stopped at Pinhão a small town of (600 people) with the river side covered with tour boats of many sizes. During the one hour long boat trip we embarked upon, the guide said that this town had received 1.2 million tourists in the previous year. If you are planning a trip to Portugal, Spain or Italy in the near future DO NOT watch any of the Youtube videos on over tourism such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXv5D_FUhSg
To be fair, and as noted by colleagues from the Open University, the tourists bring much employment and wealth to the major tourist cities. The conversion of affordable housing to short term rentals does displace residents, but many of these buildings are in dire need to updating and refurbishing.
I shudder to think what the major European tourist destinations are like at peak season (June-Sept.) but it may be worth putting up with chills and rains in the winter to enjoy Europe sans an over-whelming number of tourists
April 25 Freedom March in Porto
From Lisbon, we headed North to Porto. Porto is a great city, smaller (though no less crowded) than Lisbon and in many ways more scenic due to the Douro River that runs through the City. By coincidence we happened to be there on April 25. On this day, Portugal celebrates the Carnation Revolution – ending 48 years of Dictatorship and loss of freedom from fascist dictatorship in 1974. The day is marked in major towns and cities by celebration marches.
This was the largest demonstration/march that we had ever witnessed. Groups of marchers, headed by large banners proclaiming their affiliation (teachers, hospital worker, social workers, engineers etc.). It really was a celebratory gathering with cheers from the bystanders.
The highlight for us was the Marching Batoquirs. This drum corp consisted o f nearly 50 drummers setting the beat that got everyone feeling very upbeat (so to speak). The drummers were of all ages, and led by a whistle blowing parade master, they ran through a variety of engaging and complex beat patterns.
http://virtualcanuck.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_9386-1.mov
I couldn’t help thinking how useful a marching drum band would be for any of the parades and demonstrations we see here at home – sort of a multi-generational addition to the Raging Grannies.
Two Nights of Fado Music
In Porto and later in Coimbra we bought tickets for hour long (with a shot of port) Fado concerts. Fado is a genre of music, original to Portugal, that consists of a band of 2 or more guitar players and a singer. Typically, but not always, the singers are female and the instruments always consist of at least one Portuguese guitar. These pear shaped guitars have 12 steel strings. The musician plays counter melodies and embellishments to the singer’s voice. Typically the songs are sad laments.
Now, one might ask why we would pay to listen to singers moan and groan about the misery in their lives?- and it wasn’t just for the tiny glass of port they serve. The music is haunting and very soothing. The virtuous playing of the Portuguese guitar players was the real star of the show. The two players we saw were both men in their 60’s who sounded like they had been master players for decades.
http://virtualcanuck.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_9402-1.mov
The next highlight of our trip was the two nights we stayed on Bon Jesus do Monte. This is a ‘sacred mountain” near Brava that was first begun in the fifteenth century as means to bring Catholics back to the true faith in the midst of the Protestant Reformation.
The complex has been enhanced and extended over the centuries to become a major tourist and local place for a family walk, hike in the hills or worship. The complex has three small, classic hotels (late 19th century). The highlight is a massive baroque staircase leading up to the Basilica.
The theme of the whole mountain park is the Passion of Jesus. From the bottom, and proceeding up the staircase and culminating in the Crucification highlighted in the Basilica at the top of the staircase. are a series of chapels that portray the last weeks of Jesus life, his death, his resurrection and ascension. The story is brought to life in a series of small, stand alone chapels. Through unglassed windows the pilgrims can look inside to see life sized statues of Jesus, disciples, Roman Soldiers and the other key figures in the passion story The statues are painted and amazingly life-like. The 3D multi-media of the 16th century.
Funicular at Bon Jesus do Mont
Of course not all of the faithful are able to climb to the Basilica -though many younger locals seemed to enjoying jogging up and down the staircase. So in 1881 a funicular was built. The cars which hold about twenty people look similar to other such devices I have seen elsewhere. But what makes this funicular unique is the way the cars are powered to ascend the hill. Typically a continuous cable connects the two cars and an electric motor (in addition to the counter weight of the descending car) propels the funicular. However, this funicular was installed before there was electricity available. And it didn’t use steam power, a wind mill or paddle wheel on a dam or swift stream.
So how was it powered?
As you can see in the picture above, water from a stream tapped further up the mountain, is fed into a large tank underneath the funicular car. When full of water, the operator closes a big wheel valve. Now the extra weight of the water in the upper car is more than enough to raise the lower car (with passengers). When the car gets to the lower station, it drive over a slanted block of wood openeng a valve and the water spills out of the lower car – lightening its weight enough to be hoisted up once the upper car has loaded its water tank. This ingenious system has been in place since 1881 and is the last remaining gravity-water powered funicular in Europe and perhaps in the world. Very cool use of sustainable energy.
No Power in Coimbra
Our last stop in Portugal was at the former capital and home of Portuguese’s oldest University – in Coimbra. We booked an AirB&B (I though I was booking a hotel) in the very old est part of town near the University. I saw from the hotel map that it was located in an area with very small and winding roads. Given that our rental car had ApplePlay for GPS and we have very good phone coverage with a virtual SIM card (no roaming fees). I was confident that we could find the place, though I was worried about parking our rental car.
What we had not counted on was a nation-wide power outage. This had anly minor effects on us until we made a wrong turn and the GPS stalled trying to find a new route for us. I knew the rental was at the top of a large hill (we were down at river level) yet I also saw that there were very few roads leading up the very steep hill. But we had a rough map and ventured forth ascending on roads that progressly got smaller and pavement gave way to cobble stone. Finally, a parking spot appeared and though we still didn’t know where our place was we thought we were reasonably close.
Clunking along the cobble stone we eventually found our apartment on a road that two loaded donkeys would have had trouble passing- much less a car.
What a relief – we had found our lodging. BUT the code to access the apartment was not working (no electricity). So we descended to a small pub at the end of our street, hoping to get Internet or phone access to contact our host. But alas, no lights, no electricity and no Internet – but they did still have beer, so we fortified ourselves with beer and potato chips and tried to think what to do. Sleeping tin the car didn’t sound very attractive and just driving with no GPS to find a hotel sounded pretty sketchy as well. So we were VERY relieved when an hour later the lights suddenly came back on. Everyone in the bar cheered, and then the publican, went over and switched the lights off – and managed to get a few groans from the patrons before turning it back on. Things fell in place after that. Eventually Internet, phone and even TV returned and we spent two great days touring the old University, National museum and other sights in Coimbra.
Finally, I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this old Lambretta scooter. It was the same model that I had bought in Madrid in 1971 and with backpacks strapped to the rear carrier, travelled through Spain and Morocco and my first trip to Portugal. Fond memories, but grateful to return with much more money in my pocket, GPS and a wonderful wife and travelling companion
My last challenge was to retrieve our rented car and exit the winding cobble stones streets. The only parking spot we had found was a hill, on a very narrow street (we were afraid the car would be clipped by passing vehicles) but it seemed to have survived. Except, there was a car in front of us, it was raining, we were on a very steep hill, I was too close to the building on the passenger side to turn the wheel to reverse – much less to open the passenger door AND it was a standard transmission vehicle. The only thing better than getting out of that parking spot, was when we returned the rent a car at the end of our trip.
Conclusions
We hadn’t really intended to rent a car . But the first week we spent in Sintra and it was really too long a walk on avery hilly road to get to the train station. Rental cars do allow one to go places off the beaten track, but they are more expensive (tolls on the excellent Portuguese freeways are very expensive (60 Euros for us) and parking in the major cities was 22 euros a night. I think with better planning we would have had a more relaxing trip without worrying about driving a vehicle.
Obviously there isn’t much one can do about excess tourists except to not be part of the problem. I’m very grateful that through speaking tours in years past, we’ve had opportunity to visit most of the major sites and cities in Europe, and so our ‘bucket list” is pretty modest now. Portugal is blessed with incredible scenery, warm and friendly people and just enough misery to enjoy great fado songs, but not to get too upset about anything .
I’m really pleased to be celebrating 44 years of marriage with Susan my lover and long suffering partner. We’ve seen a few rocky moments, but always came back to the realization that we needed and wanted each other. And for that I am very grateful.
I was too much of a hippy to were a suit (much less a tux) in those days. The weather was cold (I wish I could say unseasonably) but now that we are back in Edmonton the low forecast for this Sunday is -29C, I guess it was normal – but bloody cold!
We went out with our friends Kathleen and Rory McGreal – a good time was had by all!
Every year in January, Susan and I take a short trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary- this year our 43rd! As often or not, we head for the Rocky Mountains and the nearest mountain town of Jasper. Alberta.
This year, we expected an unappreciated change in this “mountain jewel”. In August, a huge wildfire had swept through the Athabasca Valley, reaching and engulfing the area around the town. Sadly, the fire didn’t stop at the town’s edge and when it was finally extinguished about 30% of the town was reduced to smoldering ruins.
We couldn’t help but be disaster tourists as we slowly drove through the hardest hit western part of town. First we saw the ruins of the historic Anglican Church. 
The building reminded me of the remains of European Church that time alone had reduced to stone corner and foundation. The churches walls, floor and arched ceiling trucked to the landfill and only these stones and a a pile of twisted metal from heating and fixtures remained
The adjacent suburb was mostly flattened ground with piles of rubble and two large excavators loading these piles into trucks. Remarkedly, the devastated area was marked by individual houses and one whole street that seemed untouched. Vehicles outside these surviving houses showing residents had returned – perhaps with a sense of survivor guilt. We later heard that firefighters had bulldozed certain houses (some already alit) to create fire breaks that allowed neighbors homes to be spared.
All that was left of the Esso service station and convenience store was the Esso sign and two iron ceiling beams. The Maligne Lodge and our favorite coffee shop now sadly a bulldozed, scarred empty lot.
Downtown Jasper, as expected of a major tourist destination, is full of restaurants, mountaineering stores, souvenirs and gift. stores and historic hotels. Sprinkled in of course are municipal buildings, banks, library and other services for a town of 5,000 residents.
The commercial buildings seemed intact and open for business, with two exceptions, In the middle of both main streets were blocks of 4-5 two story buildings that were now either empty or covered with scaffolding. This scaffolding was the only evidence we could see of active rebuilding in the whole town. It seems that, as in the suburbs, flying embers had set alight one of more buildings in the downtown core and firefighters had destroyed these to prevent spreading the wildfire spreading.
We then headed to the most famous hotel in Jasper, the luxurious Jasper Park Lodge. This hotel had been built to accommodate well healed visitors travelling on the newly constructed CN cross Canada Railroad. Unlike many of the other luxury railway hotels, the Jasper Park Lodge was not constructed like a medieval castle, but rather consists of a main lodges and 30-40 smaller cabins – that vary in size and cost from hotel studios to multi room log cabins.
We usually stayed at the Lodge for our anniversary but this year we just couldn’t see our selves paying $400 plus a night for the privilege of acting rich. However, we couldn’t resist a couple of visits to the main lodge to enjoy an expensive lunch or two.
In our hike around the lake that fronts the Lodge, we marveled at how close the fire had come. The lodge building were was completely surrounded (though with a buffer of 3-400 meters) by blackened stumps where once the fir forest had thrived. the next day we hiked up the Maligne canyon to really visual the forest destruction. In years past we usually put our ice cleats on and hiked through the frozen canyon marvelling athe ice encrusted rock walls. This year however the hike trough the canyon itself was closed as 3 of the wooden bridges and many guard rails that surrounded the canyon had been destroyed. Further down the river at the 6th bridge we walked through the forest, amazed at the blackened trunks, mostly still standing. WSe could see the work that had already done by Parks Canada staff to clear this trail of fallen trees and other debris. Very few of the trees had actually burned though – but all had lost their needles and many leaned on their denuded neighbours for support.
On most of the mountains surrounding the town, the fire had climbed up to the tree line. Blackening all the trees. Of course, fire in the forested mountains is partof the cycle of nature. The problem is this cycle revolves on time scales not set by humans. It will likely be far past my lifetime before Jasper’s mountain slopes return to their emerald majesty.
Despite the tragedy of this wildfire, the spirit of Jasper lives on. Fortunately the Marmot Basin ski hill was not burnt and though electrical and other utilities suffered, the Hill opened for skiers on time. The Town also is shaking off the tragedy. We attended the annual Street Party that finishes “January in Jasper” celebrations. The temperature – about -15C with wind was a wee bit chilly, but bonfires, propane heaters and our Riverdale friends from Major Love warmed the crowd with their music.
Despite the challenges that lay in front for residents, flora and fauna of Jasper National Park, irt remains a jewel in the Rockies and this will not be our last visit.
I have been neglecting this blog for so long, that I think it was threatening to get rid of me!
I am well, have a new PaceMaker to keep the ol’ heart beating on time and have survived another Edmonton Winter. I spend far too much time trying to understand and lately combatting the illeral left and their ideological wars or free speech and the increasing racism of the “anti-racists”.
However, I had occasion to want to learn how to do a video edit, without clogging up my overloaded hard drive, so I tried Microsoft’s new and free of charge ClipChamp program. Of course I had to have a video file to practice on, so I stumbled upon a recording I did last year of the Huron Carol. I managed to edit it a bit and add a title and save and publish it – so very belated or early Winter Solstice/Christmas greetings to all.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PVtaMOBvu-4?si=4h2qVViBZvXTVUBX%20title=YouTube%20video%20player%20frameborder=0%20allow=accelerometer;%20autoplay;%20clipboard-write;%20encrypted-media;%20gyroscope;%20picture-in-picture;%20web-share%20referrerpolicy=strict-origin-when-cross-origin%20allowfullscreen/iframe
The following post will perhaps be of little interest to those not involved with Unitarian Universalism (UU). However I believe this issue has relevance in our broader society including the universities, government, NGOs and businesses . So please – read on!
The post documents the recent fall of Canada’s most liberal church into one now dominated by critical theory ideology. Critical ideology has been gaining adherents in both social and commercial life since it emerged from the Universities in the last two decades. However, I hope the story will perhaps be of value to other denominations and organizations confronting the challenges of this ideology.
Unitarians have always been leftist leaning progressives, with liberal values built right into their Seven Principles. The first and arguably the most important Principle is “inherent worth and dignity of every person.” Thus, it was a complete surprise to me, to see that Unitarians are being asked to understand and to describe themselves as a racist organization, because the vast majority of Unitarians are ‘white’ and thus have, and continue to enjoy ‘white privilege’.
We are challenged by Critical Theory to be “woke” to the inherent racial and gender issues that demand our immediate attention. As I read and learn, I have come to believe that this agenda challenges, in a variety of ways, the liberal values of free speech, compassion, and independent thought, and thus should only be undertaken with caution and a great deal of open and honest discussion.
In this post I discuss and provide links to some of the articles and books that have been influential to me in this important discussion – not just to Unitarians, but to all.
Like zillions of Amazon purchasers, I read DiAngelo’s “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism.” Published by Beacon Hill Press. The book sparked a rigorous response- which was likely welcomed as consistent with Critical Cultural Theory – to challenge and disrupt.
However, the spark for me was lit by Rev. Todd Eklof when he wrote, printed and distributed a book the The Gadfly Papers: Three Inconvenient Essays by One Pesky Minister or free PDF download here at the Annual 2017 UU General Assembly – to which his church was host. The book has three essays. The first takes ideas from The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Eklof applies these coddling ideas to such things as being afraid of honest debate for fear of causing harm to the other and of believing that every feeling that passes through your being must be acted upon. In the second essay “I want a divorce” he argues that the 1962 merger of the Unitarians and Universalists hasn’t been good for either. In the final essay he recounts a version of the events and controversy over staff hiring that led to the resignation of the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
I liked many of the ideas in the first chapter and went on to read the coddling book. I personally wasn’t convinced by Eklof’s argument that the UUA ought to divorce, but I certainly don’t think writing about the possibility is a major sin. The final chapter, a blow by blow description of a really sad hiring episode in the American Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) always has at least two understandings of what occurred. So – an interesting book, but one that contains ideas with which some people will not or cannot engage.
The astounding part of the story for me comes from the reaction of the UU Ministers Association and the UUA. Within days an open letter shaming Rev. Eklof was signed by over 500 UU ministers – must of whom likely had no time to even read the book. Eklof was subsequently ejected from the Ministers’ Association and efforts were made to undermine his support in his own congregation. A shameful public ‘outing’ of a respected person merely for writing a book.
To provide a flavour of the reaction to Eklof’s writing see the
Eugene Or. UU Board ‘s statement
As I read the book for myself, I reached none of the conclusions noted above. I also note that very few of Eklof’s critics, provide direct quotes that are harmful or are willing to engage with the issues he raises.
The events associated with this extraordinary and unprecedented shunning are chronicled by Eklof himself in his second book The Gadfly Affair: A 21st Century Heretic’s Excommunication from America’s Most Liberal Religion, and in the persecution of Rev. Rick Davis who was assigned as Eklof’s advocate and “Good Officer”
Finally the affair is documented in a book by Anne Schnieder’s The Self-Confessed “White Supremacy Culture”: The Emergence of an Illiberal Left in Unitarian Universalism. Schnieder’s book is described by Amazon as:
For those not wishing to read the whole book, a shorter, open access essay covering much of the same ground is available here. Schneider writes that this is a book she didn’t wish to write, but the alarming adoption of Critical Race Theory by Unitarian ministers, seminaries and organizations demanded her response.
This of course made me need to understand Critical Race Theory. The following quote from Critical Race Theory (Third Edition) by Richard Delgado & Jean Stefancic illustrates the breadth of CRT and the challenge it presents to “traditional civil rights”.
Unlike traditional civil rights discourse, which stresses incrementalism and step-by-step progress, critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.
Although I’ve since read many books. articles and blogs on critical theory – some by right-wing pugilists, the most interesting book was Cynical Theories by by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay
This is a scholarly book that chronicles the development of critical theories from their birth as post modern critique and deconstruction of dominant ideas and practices. The conversations were mostly confined to Universities until they spilled out of the academy and now are propelling reflection, writing and social action, a whole panorama and a multi billion dollar race relations and inclusion training industry. The book covers similarities and differences amongst the family of critical theories including gender, feminist, gay, trans, queer, disability and fat theory. The final chapter details how liberalism – without identity politics – is a far superior way to meet the challenges of 21st Century living. Critical theories and their enactment leads to and is dependent upon controversy, challenge and disruption.
Pluckrose has gone on the develop a support site for those being challenged or shunned for beliefs not aligned with CRT dogma. Her Counterweight site has some excellent videos and I especially liked the video explaining the difference between liberal and critical social justice.
Canadian UUs 8th Principle
The validity and rationale for the rushed and spontaneous adoption by the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) at its 2021 AGM, of a new 8th Principle and for a move to CRT, was grounded in a survey conducted and a final report by a Dismantling Racism Study Group of the CUC. The survey found that Canadian Unitarian churches harbour persistent racism and white supremacy. The survey methodology and its biased question wording was severely criticized by a professional statistician from Vancouver. However, there was no response to these concerns from the Study Group.
I now understand Critical Race Theory research does not necessarily depend upon or even search for an objective ‘truth’. Rather, if the research furthers the aim of the ‘cause’ then it can be righteously manipulated and used as a tool – in this case to ”dismantle racism”.
The delegates to that meeting passed an extraordinary motion to immediately adopt an 8th Principle. This rushed process was later deemed to be in violation of the CUC’s own bylaws and I believe also violated the 5th Principle of supporting demographic processes.
The proposed 8th Principle states “We, the member congregations of the Canadian Unitarian Council, covenant to affirm and promote: “Individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions.” The CUC then set a process for educational courses and special meeting to discuss and vote on the proposed principle in Nov. 2021.
The CUC then hosted a series of Zoom forums to discuss the proposed 8th Principle and possibly to recommend changes to the wording. Very unfortunately, these “Forums” ,were structured lessons in Critical Race Theory at which all were required to “do the work” including a good dose of atonement. Again, no space was given to allow divergence of thought, no place for different opinions or conclusions and essentially no debate was permitted on the wording of the proposed Principle. The Woke have a profound distrust of engaging in potentially divisive conversation- no matter what its validity. This rejection of dialogue is common in many illiberal and authoritarian groups but very novel to Unitarians.
Prior to the vote, the CUC called out the “big guns” of the Canadian UU Ministers – all of whom spoke (by video) for the need to pass this 8th Principle- without amendment. These ‘professionals’ supported, by paid CUC staff members, conducted an all out campaign to insure the Principle passed. Moreover, no one addressed issues of the meaning of accountability, definition of racism, or even what dismantling really means. The one change in wording that was accepted dropped the words about changing “other oppressions” to more clearly focus on dismantling racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion”.
Let me be clear I do not support racism – either systematic or overt and welcome effective efforts to eliminate it in all of its forms. However, I don’t support this principle for a number of reasons.
I’ve since read a number of books on racism that I find much more reasonable. The first was Caste: the origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. This book notes that much of what we describe as racism is a form of caste oppression. A second and perhaps more relevant book is by Irshad Manji Don’t Label Me: An Incredible Conversation for Divided Times This book uses a pretty corny literary technique of a conversation with her blind dog, but contains a great deal of sound advice for dealing with other people. As the title suggests – she comes down hard on boxing and labelling people based on criteria that you invent or choose to focus on.
The latest move for “accountability” by the CUC includes publication on their web site of a Responsibility Covenant
This looks to me like an escalation of the “group accountability” theme that will require a host of thought and speech police to enforce and will drive liberals and Freethinkers away from Unitarianism in droves. Fortunately, there is no discussion (yet) on the use for or adoption process of this ‘covenant’.
This escalating debate has been referred to as “the Gadfly Movement” by critics. You can see a particularly alarming and one-sided critique of the “Gadfly Movement” by Rev. Sharah Skochko. She claims that the Gadfly movement is an alt-right movement, supported by white middle class men, who are determined to end the long UU tradition of working for social justice. I’ve been called many things, but this a first to be slandered as “alt-right”. Rev Skochko solution is to “Kick them Out“. She does note that Unitarians are quite rightly very reluctant to kick anyone out, but she sees no other solution.
I fear that most Canadians Unitarians won’t bother fighting this critical theory driven agenda and will just walk away. A much more reasonable approach to the controversy and to the vote on the 8th Principle would be to hold an honest and open debate. The Unitarian Universalist Multi-National Association recently held a debate on the 8th Principle, and I urge all Canadian Unitarians to watch the debate.
Aftermath
Our Westwood Congregation had two zoom meetings in order to discuss the proposed 8th Principle and to instruct our two delegates on how to vote at the upcoming CUC Special meeting. I and a number of others spoke as elegantly as we could on the problems with the proposed Principle. However, there was little exchange, questioning or negotiation – both sides seemed stuck in either opposing or supporting (with elegant language) the proposed Principle In the end, our Westwood Congregation and later, the CUC voted to adopt the 8th Principle.
An ex-president of our congregation concluded that the CUC made a fundamental mistake of believing that all Unitarians can be forced to believe in a single ideology (of either left or right) and that the discussion, debate, and consensus can be discarded if the cause is of sufficient importance.
I am not quite prepared to believe all of the Woke similarities to a new religion as argued by John McWorter’s “Woke Racism: How a New Religion has Betrayed Black America or Tripp Parker’s The New Religion Of The Woke Left Is A Faith Without Atonement. However, the ‘Elect” certainly has a large number of active adherents within the Canadian UU leadership.
At this point, I feel that I can no longer support or be a member of an organization that supports and reflects Critical Race Theory in its programming. At its roots, I believe that Critical Race Theory is a racist ideology that is, (by design) extremely divisive. I also realized that I no longer felt much community with many of the members of our congregation.
Thus, I resigned my membership and with it my responsibilities for the Westwood website and as Building coordinator. However, I couldn’t walk away from my ‘beloved’ 🙂 Westwood Unitarian’s FreeThinker’s Book Club.
Thus, the end of my almost 50 years as a Unitarian. I look forward to a day when all of society works towards and acts with justice and compassion to all its members, but I see a near future of continuing and escalating confrontation. All of this reading has left me worried not only for Unitarians, but for all liberals who value diversity, free thought and tolerance. We should and can work on large challenges including racism, income and wealth disparity and climate change – but using critical theory as a basis for our thinking and actions will only lead to diversion and stall any real progress.
In 2014, I was honoured to be invited (with my wife Susan) to be a visiting scholar at Beijing Normal University (BNU). BNU is arguably the preeminent research university in distance and online education in China. One of my commitments during this visit was to create a review of the thorny and complex topic of interaction in distance education.
As anyone researching distance and online education and many readers of this blog will know, interaction leading to active and engaged learning is a pivotal topic for teachers, learners and institutions. Interaction is multi-faceted (many actors, many modes) but also expensive in terms of student and teacher time. Thus, there has been a wealth of research on the topic during the 40 years that I have been an active researcher and teacher.
Thus, with no apology for the length, I link here the final 44 page review. Most obviously it is 7 years out of date, but I think distance education researchers and teachers will find something of value in the extensive research and references noted. Ironically when I returned to Canada I submitted the review study and was told it was published in China, However, I didn’t bother to promote or publish the review myself.
Fortunately, Grad student SCOTT A. HAUERT, saw the review in Chinese and asked me to make it available (in English)! I attempt to rectify this mistake by posting the review here under a Creative Common Public Domain license.
The full Research Review is here
I post below the table of contents:
