#5SmartReads - May 4, 2022

Hitha on SCOTUS, direct air capture, and Kevin G

May 04, 2022

Bad First Drafts (Jill Filipovic)

There are a LOT of takes out there regarding the leaked copy of SCOTUS’ majority opinion overturning Roe.

Jill Filipovic does the important job of providing context (both on the leak itself and what’s at stake), and what we expect to come with this ruling.

It’s dire. And because the anti-abortion activists won’t stop, neither can we to preserve access to necessary healthcare (and also recognize that this is but one issue used to control a specific group, and this playbook is active for those seeking to overturn queer rights and protections, civil rights, and honestly anything meant to level the playing field for those who do not look like the founding fathers of this country).

I digress. Jill’s piece is a strong primer on the situation at hand, and I hope you take the time to read and share it.

What stories have you told yourself that you’ve accepted as a hard, fixed truth?

The one that sticks out in my mind about myself is that I’m a flaky friend. Melody, who knows me better than I know myself, gently redirected this as “Hitha takes on a lot and some balls do get dropped.”

Mel’s words shifted this fixed truth into something I can work with. Yes, I do take on a lot, but maybe it’s time to say no to more and focus on what’s on my plate right now - because it’s still full!

Reading Neha’s essay helped me connect the dots, and begin writing a new story for myself that feels better aligned to who I am and who I want to be. And it got me to finally begin listening to Atomic Habits, which has been downloaded on my Libro.fm app for years.

Can you have a crush on a policy? Because I’m crushing hard on New Mexico’s new program to offer a year of free childcare to most residents - and fortify future programs with the creation of a permanent fund (NM’s Early Childhood Education and Care Fund, projected to be worth $4.3B by 2025).

And Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is just getting started.

News like this is a spark of light in an otherwise dark time. I can’t wait to see the results of the program, and what New Mexico does next to support its working families with young children.

“I think the reason the character of Kevin G. did so well was because it was not that stereotypical character of the Indian math nerd, with the accent, bobbing his head around. Tina Fey wrote a very refreshing script which I think reflected the accurate version of a semi-multicultural high school experience in the States,” Surendra once said in an interview. “I knew guys like Kevin G. growing up.” The difference is that Kevin G. doesn't seem to care whether he’s considered cool or not. He just does his thang.

This essay about the character Kevin G - and the phenomenal multi-hypenate that played him, Rajiv Surendra - is brilliant. Nothing I write can do this piece justice, so just go read it.

Disclosure - I am an investor in The Juggernaut.

For context, direct air capture is technology used to capture carbon dioxide from our atmosphere and store it to help reduce emissions at scale. The CO2 is either stored in geological formations (to achieve negative emissions), or it can be used in food processing or be used to produce synthetic fuels.

The nonprofit Carbon180 is working on scaling direct air capture in the United States, with the help of a $3.5B investment from the Energy Department to help develop 4 regional DAC hubs.

Technology like this is an important bridge between fully renewable energy production and where we are now, and I’m cautiously optimistic on the organization’s thoughtful work to develop and install these hubs.

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