Daily Archives: October 15, 2021

DIVERSITY DIVIDES Its become conventional wisdom that diversity and inclusion are good for business. But new research reveals that corporate thinking on the subject is far from clear-cut.

One in three corporate directors say board diversity will happen naturally, down from 71 percent in 2020. In other words, directors now acknowledge they have to be deliberate, according to an annual survey from accounting giant PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

And more than half the 851 directors surveyed support tying executive compensation to diversity and inclusion goals.

But dig deeper into the report and youll find this: A growing number of directors 58 percent say the diversity push is driven by political correctness. Thats up 6 points from 2020. More than 1 in 4 directors say the push for diversity results in the board nominating unqualified candidates.

This years report is a story of disconnects, said Maria Moats, leader of PwCs Governance Insights Center. Boards understand diversity wont fix itself. But theyre not quite all-in.

The share of corporate directors from racial minority groups was extremely small in 2020. At the countrys largest companies, only about 5 percent of directors were Black and only 3 percent were Latino. Women make up 28 percent of directors on S&P 500 boards, up from 16 percent in the past decade, but theyre predominantly white.

And even though almost half of directors think one or more of their fellow board members should be replaced, thats not happening.

Boards have to assess whether they have the right people to deliver a strategy for the future, and then replace some members, Moats said in an interview.

Nearly two-thirds of directors say environmental, social and governance goals, or ESG, are linked to their companys strategy, a 15-point jump over past year. But only 25 percent said their board understands ESG risks very well. And the vast majority, 67 percent, dont think associated disclosures from climate risk to workforce diversity should be mandatory.

The survey lands as the SEC prepares rules to require publicly traded U.S. companies to report climate risk and disclose more information about workforce diversity. Chair Gary Gensler said it might take the agency until early next year to get the climate disclosure rule out, a longer timeline than many had anticipated.

A proposal for human capital disclosure, which could include diversity and compensation data, likely will reach SEC commissioners next spring, Gensler said.

The Senate, by unanimous consent on Thursday, declared Oct. 8, 2021, National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. Once again, we missed the festivities. Hope there was ice cream.

Any other parties coming up? Send invites to [emailprotected] and [emailprotected]. Follow us on Twitter @ceboudreau and @Woellert. FOMO? Sign up for The Long Game.

We couldnt have done it this week without Shayna Greene and Bjarke Smith-Meyer. Thanks!

A message from Toyota:

We should be united in an EV future. Not divided. Learn More.

Allbirds Inc. says the sheep that provide wool for its footwear live the good life. But as the startup prepares to go public, its encountering pushback for that claim and others.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has described the sheep raised by Allbirds suppliers as tormented and accused the company of understating its carbon footprint. Then came a class-action lawsuit in June.

Amid the turmoil, the shoe company last week amended its investor prospectus for the third time, dropping about half the references to its sustainability principles and objectives framework, the Financial Times reports. The updated prospectus also omits the claim that Allbirds is conducting its IPO, while following the SPO framework.

Chevron Corp. will aspire to reach net-zero emissions from operations by 2050 and aims to reduce carbon intensity by 5 percent from 2016 levels by 2028 for the lifecycle of its products, including Scope 3 emissions from customers, which make up the majority of fossil fuel pollution.

The company said it could survive a rapid shift from fossil fuels but doubts things will move quickly in that direction. In its latest climate change resilience report, the energy company singled out a scenario from the International Energy Agency for criticism, calling it highly unlikely and inherently speculative.

You might remember that IEA report. It drew global headlines for laying out a path to net-zero emissions, one that required a lot of sacrifice from fossil fuel companies. The multinational group, organized under the OECD, commands attention from governments that pay close heed to its work.

Chevron wasnt impressed. The IEA call to action, the company wrote, requires immediate and unprecedented action: globally coordinated policy design, strong international cooperation, vast capital redeployment, new infrastructure build-out, accelerated technology deployment, and a threefold improvement in energy efficiency that to date has not been forthcoming.

The IEA pathway assumes carbon prices grow some fivefold by 2050.

It is not reflective of any realistic current projections, especially in terms of global cooperation, Chevron wrote.

WASHOUT Nonprofit research group Climate Central today released more than a thousand pictures and videos showing places that could be underwater if governments fail to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

In a worst-case scenario, the high-tide line could encroach on land occupied by about a billion people. If world leaders can meet the most ambitious goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, that exposure could be cut in half, researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed paper in Environmental Research Letters.

Asian nations will be the hardest-hit. Then theres Washington, D.C., which sits between two rivers and is built on a network of creekbeds. The National Mall, the Ellipse near the White House, and parts of Capitol Hill could be flooded if temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius. Nationals Park, huddled against the Anacostia River waterfront, could have a permanent washout.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER? More than five months after the launch of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it would join the group and take its lending and investment portfolios net-zero. JPM, which has been conspicuously absent from the alliance, is one of the worlds largest funders of fossil fuels. The bank reduced its exposure during the pandemic.

Environmental groups last week accused U.N. special envoy Mark Carney, who leads the net-zero banking and other financial alliances, of facilitating the watering down of net-zero rules for finance and said alliance members have failed to adopt International Energy Agency findings.

A message from Toyota:

DELIVERY IN PROGRESS With just three weeks to go before COP26, the U.N. climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, theres plenty of rhetoric and virtual spilled ink but little to report on actual progress. With a U.S. spending bill and infrastructure package still mired in congressional politics, President Joe Biden has nothing from lawmakers to take to the meeting. Other national pledges could remain just that.

Its not that encouraging that the promises made at COP26 will be followed through, Douglas Flint, chair of investment company abrdn plc, said Monday at an annual meeting of the Institute of International Finance.

In Paris, COP President-designate Alok Sharma warned that governments need to deliver concrete action to cut coal, boost electric cars, protect trees and reduce methane emissions, and honor a $100 billion pledge to help small and vulnerable economies.

The meeting, which begins Oct. 31, is the first significant climate gathering since the Paris Climate Agreement was signed in 2015.

COP26 is not a photo-op, Sharma said in his speech Tuesday. It must be the forum where we put the world on track to deliver on climate. And that is down to leaders.

Sharma also said the conference would make funds available to cover costs to delegates and others from developing countries if they contract Covid-19 during their stay and have to isolate in Glasgow.

ICYMI, Pope Francis, 84, is staying home. Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will represent the Holy See in Glasgow.

A message from Toyota:

We should be united in an EV future. Not divided.

Proposed EV tax credit legislation will apply only to certain carmakersputting thousands of dedicated American auto workers at a disadvantage. Learn more about how this tax credit should be applied equally to all manufacturers.

THE TAXMEN COMETH Policymakers from 136 countries on Friday committed to overhauling corporate tax rules so that giant companies pay their fair share. The deal would set a 15 percent global minimum corporate tax for the largest companies and could raise an additional $150 billion in revenue globally. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called it a victory for the U.S., but dont count those chickens yet. Congress needs to pass legislation for the deal to take effect.

Felicia Wong, president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank, called the move important for democracy.

When 136 countries can come together, we can prevent the world's largest corporations from hoarding wealth and power at the expense of the world's citizens," Wong said.

Oh, hello! | Martin Meissner/AP Photo

They're back! Pink flamingos have returned to Kazakhstans capital after a five-year absence, the U.N. reports.

As they push to protect biodiversity, scientists point to the potential medicinal benefits of fungi that grow on sloths, and other cool stuff. The Guardian has details.

Indigenous activists are protesting in front of the White House this week. They want Biden to end new fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency, The Washington Post reports.

Follow this link:

Political correctness - POLITICO

Billy is a guest on the Graham Norton Show tonight on BBC One at 10:35pm. The comedy legend will be discussing his new autobiography,Windswept and Interesting,which details a story of success against all the odds. Billy, was born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of four, and was a survivor of horrific abuse at the hands of his own family, yet he went on to become one of thecountry'smost influential and loved stand ups.

Joining the comic on the BBC chat show is Jodie Whittaker, who is beginning her final seriesinDoctor Who, Olympic champion diver Tom Daley, acting great Eileen Atkins and Sir Lenny Henry.

The programme will also feature music from Coldplay, who will perform their new single, My Universe.

Billy carved out a career as a fearless and outspoken comedian, and recently blasted woke culture, admitting he would never have made it in todays current climate.

However, it was not the first time he called out political correctness for its effect on comedy.

Read more:William Shatner dismantled wokeism in stunning outburst

In an unearthed stand up clip Billy rages at the politically correct mob for screwing it for everybody.

In afoul-mouthedrant from his 2007 stand up special Was It Something I Said he exclaims: Ive always [liked] the way you can laugh at horrible things, and awful things.Now the politically correct f****** mob, theyve screwed it for everybody, because you feel embarrassed.

Im telling a joke, shut the f*** up, get a life.

And thats why youve got person hole covers in the street - f*** you.

Its a manhole cover, f*** off.

In an interview this week for New Zealand radio show Newstalk ZB, the Scottish comic insisted he would have been cancelled had he started out as a comedian in 2021.

Billy also called upon TV executives, whom he referred to as suits, to have more bravery.

He said: Because of political correctness people have pulled in the horns.

I couldnt have started today with the talent I had then.

There was a comedian who had a series on television and the suits involved were going to take it off at the first commercial break.

See more here:

Billy Connolly raged at politically correct mob who screwed it for everybody - Daily Express

NEW YORK Should Halloween costumes need to pass a political correctness test before parents let their kids go trick-or-treating? A new survey finds many think moms and dads should think twice before letting their children dress up in certain costumes for Halloween this year.

A recent OnePoll survey asked 2,000 American parents of children under 10 to weigh in on which offensive Halloween costumes they believe should be banned from stores.

Holocaust-related costumes, such as the infamous Anne Frank outfit that caused a social media controversy in 2017, topped the list of ideas to avoid (45%). Anything related to blackface (43%), displaying the Confederate flag (38%), or transphobia (37%) also ranked high on the list. Other choices Americans think kids should avoid include pandemic-related costumes, such as hazmat suits (32%) and also portrayals of cultural stereotypes (29%).

The relationship between Halloween and cultural appropriation or stereotyping has become a hot-button issue over the last decade, with critics and activists popularizing the phrase My culture is not a costume in social media discussions.

When asked to define cultural appropriation in their words, one parent said it means when you take somebody elses culture and make it your own in a disrespectful manner. Another respondent interpreted it as the adoption and showcasing of another peoples culture in a fun or mocking way.

Although parents in the poll believe cultural appropriation is a topic worth discussing with their children, not all were clear about how to define it. One parent defined cultural appropriation as to be proud of your culture. Others admitted they dont know what the term means.

Sixty-three percent of parents say theyve already had conversations with their children about cultural appropriation because of the issues Americans are facing in todays society. Another 58 percent have stressed to their kids that engaging in cultural appropriation or any type of appropriation can be very hurtful to others.

Nearly half of parents (45%) say they now regret wearing certain Halloween costumes in the past that some now consider inappropriate or offensive. Only 37 percent dont feel sorry about sporting those costumes in the past. Since then, nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) have been more careful with their families costume choices because they dont want to offend anyone.

Of the 42 percent of parents who plan to dress up this Halloween, some are reportedly going as Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superman, Lady Gaga, and Gomez and Morticia Addams. Three-quarters of adults say their kids also plan on dressing up, choosing costumes including Baby Shark, robots, vampires, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

As many parents see those costumes as safe options, most agree that the offensive costumes should be left in the past. Wearing offensive costumes has not only been an issue during Halloween but in the classroom as well.

In 2019, a Tennessee elementary school came under fire after a student was assigned to dress up as Adolf Hitler and gave the Nazi salute to his classmates as part of a WWII history lesson.

In 2017, a Black mother in Georgia spoke out against her childs school for promoting Civil War Day, where a white student dressed as a plantation owner and told her son, You are my slave.

Surprisingly, half the poll say theyd let their child wear a costume some people consider inappropriate or offensive to school for educational purposes.

By comparison, only a quarter say theyre against that type of roleplaying.

View post:

PC Halloween: Here are the costumes parents agree no kid should wear while trick-or-treating - Study Finds

Cancel culture has reared its ugly head once again, and this time in a new and unprecedented way.

A lecture by a physicist was canceled at one of Americas premier institutions of science, MIT, for reasons having nothing to do with the subject of the lecture. The lecture was canceled not because of its scientific content but because of the politically incorrect views on diversity of the scientist scheduled to give the lecture.

Dorian Abbot is a professor in the department of the geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Harvard and a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard.

Abbot was scheduled to give the annual John Carlson lecture at MITs Lorenz Center in the department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. The topic was to be climate and the potential for life on other planets.

But this lecture will not take place. In August, Abbot and Ivan Marinovic, an associate professor of accounting at Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business, published an opinion piece in Newsweek entitled The Diversity Problem on Campus.

Abbot and Marinovic argued that the politically correct regime now taking control of Americas universities, which they identify as DEI diversity, equity and inclusion is undermining the mission of what universities are supposed to be about. That mission is, per Abbot and Marinovic, the production and dissemination of knowledge.

When universities no longer look for the most talented and best trained minds in hiring, and politically motivated criteria drive hiring practices, the universitys core business the search for truth is undermined.

They propose that MFE merit, fairness and equality be adopted as the regime to define hiring practices to displace DEI. MFE is about hiring based on individual merit and qualifications alone.

Abbot is now paying the price for publicly expressing such heresy.

Twitter outrage descended on the administration at MIT, and Abbot was disinvited. So now academic speech is not just about what is said but who is saying it.

Abbot and Marinovic were right on target in their Newsweek essay, suggesting that the DEI politically correct regime carries forward everything about racism that we supposedly have been trying to get rid of.

Racism is all about obliterating individuality and making predetermined judgments about who any individual is based on socially defined characteristics of the group to which they are assigned.

How can any Black child in America not be injured when they are not taught that they are special and unique human beings but that what is most important is their color. It doesnt matter whether they are being rejected because of their color or accepted because of their color. Their humanity is being undermined.

Science advances when we recognize that truth is bigger than and beyond any single human mind. Truth is discovered, piece by piece, through humility and hard work, not political arrogance, pretending we already know it.

We might recall that modern science only emerged some five centuries ago. It wasnt all that long ago that most believed that the sun moved around the Earth rather than the other way around. Scientists such as Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei, through honest observations, concluded the prevailing view was wrong. This was politically incorrect then; they were attacked, and their books were banned.

One famous graduate of MIT was the great Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman.

Feynman observed, Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.

The increasing deference of reality to public relations, meaning suppressing what is true to serve what the politically correct want to be true, is destroying our national integrity, hurting the very people that supposedly we are trying to help, and threatening the future of our nation.

Political correctness is undermining personal responsibility and personal development. Now it is threatening to undermine science and truth.

MIT should step up and apologize to Dorian Abbot.

Read more:

Science is the latest victim of cancel culture - Brunswick News

In an interview to promote his autobiography Windswept & Interesting, the comedian spoke to New Zealands radio network Newstalk ZB.

He said: Theres a show here in America with all black comedians, men and women, and they are totally ruthless, they are totally without political correctness and they have always got me on the floor howling with laughter. Its just the cheek of them and the bravery of it.

There was a comedian who had a series on television and the suits involved were going to take it off at the first commercial break. They have got no bravery. We need people who give people time and a chance to develop and all that kind of stuff.

He added: I think things have changed forever [with political correctness] but you never know.

The comedian announced his retirement from stand-up in 2018, having been diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2013, but has continued to make documentaries.

In last years ITV special, Its Been A Pleasure, which was widely perceived as marking the end of the comedians career, he said: I have done my stand-up. I did it for 50 years. I did it quite well and it is time to stop.

My illness, my Parkinsons disease, has rendered me different. It would either mean renewing what I do and doing something else, or give up what I did and thats what Ive done.

Read the original:

Sir Billy Connolly: I'd be cancelled by the woke brigade if I started out in comedy today - The Telegraph

John Krull| The Statehouse File

INDIANAPOLIS Clueless and mean-spirited white guys found themselves a new poster boy this week.

Jon Gruden resigned as the head coach of the NFLs Las Vegas Raiders. Gruden left his job after The New York Times reported he had sent a series of bigoted emails that attacked league officials, players, politicians and others in scurrilous terms.

I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Gruden said on Twitter. I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. Im sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.

Nonsense.

Of course he meant the language to be hurtful.

He just never intended to be caught or be held accountable for his cruelty.

Grudens assaults on basic decency were widespread. He attacked a players representative with a nasty racist image. He used one of the ugliest anti-gay slurs around to demean NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and said the league shouldnt allow gay players to compete. He used an off-color word relating to a part of the female anatomy to describe people with whom he disagreed, including the current president of the United States.

If he didnt know that language was offensive to many, many people, then hes a moron.

And Gruden has made it clear through the years that hes no dummy.

He knew he was saying things that were racist, homophobic, misogynistic and rotten.

He just didnt care.

Until he got caught and it cost him something.

In that way, Gruden is like so many other blowhards a certain former president of the United States comes to mind in this shabby, disagreeable age.

They swagger around, insulting and demeaning everyone who threatens them in any way, and then, when theyre called on it, they try to dismiss their callous disregard for others by saying they didnt mean any harm. The problem, they always contend, is that other people are just too sensitive.

Or that they are victims of political correctness and their right to speak freely is being violated.

Again, nonsense.

What blowhard America calls political correctness goes by another label in most of America.

Common courtesy.

Most of us were raised not to say unkind things if we can help it. Most of us were taught that we shouldnt demean other people based on their race, their gender, their religion or their sexual orientation.

To do so isnt tough or manly.

Its just wrong.

And no one is denying Gruden the right to speak his narrow little mind. He can continue to send out ugly emails to anyone he wants.

Hes got that right.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees it.

But it also guarantees the same rights to the people Gruden insulted and may insult in the future. When he says things that they dont like, they have the right to speak up and tell him hes full of it.

Similarly, the NFL owners can choose not to associate themselves with his bigotry. They too have that right.

Thats the thing that so many members of blowhard America including, again, a certain former president of the United States just cant seem to grasp. They somehow seem to think that free speech means a free pass.

Theyre allowed to say whatever they want, regardless of how callous and ill-intended, but no one ever should be permitted to tell them that theyre just nasty little twits.

But thats not the way it works.

Free speech is free for all.

And saying what you think doesnt mean you never will be held accountable for what youve said.

Thats what happened here.

Jon Gruden said what he thought, nasty as his thoughts were.

Now hes being held accountable for what he said.

Thats the way things are supposed to work.

John Krull is director of Franklin Colleges Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher ofTheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Read more:

Krull: Gruden is like other blowhards, lacking in common decency and courtesy - The Herald-Times

Billionaire Republican donor Peter Thiel is bankrolling election conspiracists and primary challengers againstRepublicans who backedDonald Trump's impeachment after the Jan.6 Capitol riot, including an ArizonaSenate candidate who is literally on his payroll.

Thiel, the Facebook board member who co-founded PayPal and later the controversial data-mining company Palantir, has long been a top Republican benefactor, donating millions to GOPcandidates and political action committees. But in the wake of Trump's 2020 defeat, Thiel has grown more aggressive in his political investments, dropping more than $20 millionto support two far-right Senate candidates and helping to fund primary challengers against Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and other Republicans who called for Trump's removal after the deadly riot.

"He wants to be the patron of the Trump wing of the Republican Party," said Max Chafkin, a Bloomberg reporter and author of "The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power." Thiel is focused on building out "Trumpism after Trump," Chafkin said in an interview with Salon, describing the tech billionaire as "in many ways further to the right than Trump."

Thiel, who donated $1.25 million to back Trump in 2016, has made an even bigger splash this election cycle with a $10 million donation to back his protgBlake Masters, who plans to run for the Republican nomination in next year'sArizona Senate election. Masters is uniquely connected to Thiel, serving as the chiefoperating officer of Thiel Capital, the billionaire's venture capital fund, and co-writing Thiel's book "Zero to One."

While candidates like Virginia's Glenn Youngkinhave stepped away from their corporate careers to run for office, Masters appears to still be on Thiel's payroll. He earned $775,000 from Thiel Capital last year and received more than $340,000 in royalty payments from the sales of "Zero to One," according to a personal finance disclosurethat was first reported by Insider. Masters did not respond to questions from Salon about whether he still collectsa salary from Thiel'scompany, but still lists himself as the firm's COO on his LinkedIn page.

Thiel last month hosted a fundraiserfor Masters'campaign at his Los Angeles home that cost up to $5,800 to attend.

Saving Arizona PAC, the Thiel-funded effort that has already spent nearly $1.7 millionin Arizona, has launched ads attacking state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Masters' principal GOPopponent, for rejecting Trump's lie that voter fraud cost him the election.

"Mark Brnovich says President Trump is wrong on voter fraud. Really? Brnovich failed to convene a grand jury, certified Biden as president. Now he's nowhere to be found, making excuses instead of standing with our president," the ad says.

Brnovich was one of multiple state officials, including Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who certified the election results. The addoes not explainwhy Brnovich should have convened a grand jury. There has been no evidence of widespread fraud in Arizona or any other state,and courts haverepeatedly rejectedchallenges by Trump allies seeking to overturn Biden's win.

The PAC also blasted Brnovich on Twitter, arguing that he is "nowhere to be found in the fight against voter fraud."

Masters is the "only candidate who will demand fair and transparent elections," the PAC said.

The Saving Arizona PAC recently made yet another six-figure ad buy attacking Brnovich for not being Trumpy enough.

Masters, who was endorsedby Trump's former national security adviser Robert O'Brien this week, has walked a fine line whendiscussing the presidential election. He has stoppedshort of claiming that the election was stolen outright, but has boostedconspiracy theories on Twitter about "dead people voting,"Dominion voting machinesandfears about election "integrity,"echoing a trope employed by numerous other Republicanswho have tried to distance themselves from the voter fraud lie while still trying to appease Trump loyalists.

After the dubious so-called auditin Arizona's Maricopa County actually showed Biden gaining a handful of votes compared to the official total, Trump and other Republicans began to claimthat the audit had turned up serious questions about the election administration. In fact, Republican audit officials testified to Congress last week that the county held a "free, fair and accurate election."Masters, however, sided with TrumpWorld throughout the process, teasingthe release of the audit report, echoing Trump's claimsabout "fake" polls and "anti-Trump disinformation," and making the evidence-proofargumentthat "no matter what the audit finds, we know this election wasn't fair."

Masters later demanded action from Brnovich in response to the audit, though he did not say exactly what he wanted the state attorney general to do.

"The AZ audit findings have been referred to the Attorney General," Masters tweeted. "The ball is now in Brnovich's court. He has a track record of doing the bare minimum, so let's pay attention, and we'll see if the Republican establishment is serious about election integrity."

Masters also demanded that Ducey immediately "call a special session" to impose new voting restrictions, even though Ducey had already signed a billto restrict mail ballots and purge the state's popular early voting list in the spring.

"Get the legislature back to work so they can tighten up our election laws," Masters tweeted. "Starting with universal voter ID for every kind of ballot nothing less is acceptable."

Masters did not respond to questions from Salon about whether he believes Biden legitimately won Arizona, or what he would like Brnovich to do in response to the "audit" results.

The attacks on Brnovich come as Masters seeks to close a massive early polling deficit against the attorney general. A Republican pollconducted last month showed Brnovich leading Masters, by 41% to 6%. Another September poll from OH Predictive Insightsalso showed Masters polling at just 6% and performing the worst of any candidate against incumbent Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat.

"It's clear Blake Masters is threatened by AG Brnovich," Joanna Duka, a spokeswoman for Brnovich, said in a statement to Salon.

Thiel has also dropped another $10 million to back J.D. Vance, another longtime business associate and the author of "Hillbilly Elegy," in Ohio's Senate race. As with Masters, Thiel has a long business relationship with Vance, who got his start in venture capital working at Thiel's Mithril Capital Management, which is named after a fictional metal in "The Lord of the Rings." Vance later got an investmentfrom Thiel to help start his own venture fund, Narya Capital, which is named after one of the Elvenrings in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic.Both men recently investedin the right-wing video platform Rumble.

Masters and Vance are "kind of extensions of Peter Thiel," Chafkin said, describing them as "hardcore ideologues" whoare more disciplined and coherent than Trump, but largely focused on the same issues.

Vance has tried to stay away from election conspiracies but defended rioters at the Jan.6 Capitol attack as mostly "super peaceful."Thiel's allies have generally avoided directly claiming that the 2020was rigged, but have continued to raise irrelevant or baseless questions about the result.

"They're trying to walk a line and come up with some kind of intellectually respectable version of The Big Lie," Chafkin said, adding that the Thiel-backed candidates have tried to "cozy up" to hardcore Trump backers and "be perceived as friendly to them."

Thiel himself has also cultivated relationships in TrumpWorld. He developed close ties to former Trump campaign chief and White House strategist Steve Bannon, whom Chafkin described as Thiel's "ideological" ally who shares his views on the "deep state." Thiel routedhis big 2016 donation to back Trump through the super PAC controlled by Rebekah Mercer, also a major donor to far-right Republicans.Mercer was a longtime patron of Bannon and his projects and has joined Thiel in funding Vance's Ohio campaign. Mercer has spent millionsto support some of the leading proponents of Trump's election lies, as well aselection objectors who fueled the Capitol riot.

More recently, Thiel met with Trump at the ex-president's Bedminster, New Jersey, resort and began funding candidates in support of the former president's revenge tour against pro-impeachment Republicans, according to Politico.

Thiel donated the maximum $5,800 to Harriet Hageman, the Trump-backed primary challenger to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Hageman hascontinuedto claimthat there are "legitimate questions about what happened during the 2020 election" and supported the Arizona "audit."

Thiel has also donated to Joe Kent, the Trump-backed primary challenger to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., who also voted to impeach Trump after the riot. Kent spokeat the recent "Justice for J6" rally in Washington in support of the Capitol rioters charged in the attack. He vowedto lead a "full congressional inquiry" into the 2020 election if elected. Kent was among a group of Trump supporters who filed lawsuitslast month in Washington state accusing multiple counties of "flipping votes" and calling for a "full forensic audit" of the election.

Thiel's funding for candidates pushing election lies is "totally consistent" with his embrace of Trumpism, Chafkin said. Though Thiel ultimately decided not to donate to Trump in 2020 out of frustration about the former president's "perceived competence," the billionaire has sought candidates who will pursueTrump's hardline policies on immigration, relations with China, regulation of tech companies, "political correctness"and globalization.

On all those issues, Thiel "basically agrees" with Trump, Chafkin said. "He wants to be involved in this movement and what you're seeing now is he'smaking that play.He's trying to be the main patron to his part of the Republican Party."

View original post here:

Peter Thiel bets on the far right: Tech tycoon spending millions to bankroll "Trump wing" of GOP - Salon

As a war veteran, member of the VFW and former POW for over six years with John McCain in the Hanoi Hilton, I have known and worked with Councilmember Kathy Lambert on veterans issues over the past 20 years.I have always found her to be competent, engaging, courteous, eloquent and filled with patriotic feelings for all her fellow Americans.

This rabid accusation against Councilmember Lambert being racist is outrageous. Kathy is NOT a racist. Its amazing how that word is thrown around these days.If you dont agree with someone, youre labeled a racist. This continual name calling being used as a tool each time political correctness is called out has to stop. This is what I call posturing politics at its best.

Kathy Lambert is a valued, intelligent, well-prepared and hardworking member on the council. She is a unifier, not a divider. And shes willing to reach out to fellow councilmembers to hear their side of the situation on any issue.

Shes a tireless worker for her constituents and I would say works harder and longer hours than most anyone else on that council. She is known for 2 a.m. emails and excellent customer service. She has the largest district in area to deal with and therefore has to travel further.

The radicals know she is effective and experienced and just want her off the council so they can bring in more of their Seattle philosophy to the eastside. And, we all know how well their radical policies work. Theyre making a mountain out of a photo rather than looking at the Seattle problems and issues, which they are trying to hide.

We here in rural King County have NOTHING in common with Seattle and we do not want to be represented by someone who will fit right in with Seattle thinking. Just look at who has endorsed her.

I recall when Dino Rossi was running for electionand the radicals tried to paint him as a Mafia boss with their fliers and advertisements. As a second-generation Italian American, I was offended by that. But I dont ever recall them ever apologizing to the Italian-American community. Kathy should not have to apologize for anything either.

She will be getting my vote wholeheartedly. I urge you also to vote for Kathy.Keep Seattles deplorable politics in Seattle!!! These days, when anyone disagrees with those who lean to the radical far left, they are automatically labelled as terrorists or racists.I know what those words mean. The entire country is in a mode of trying to eliminate any and all who disagree with their radical views. Dont let them use this heavy tool to deprive us of a voice that is independent and cares deeply about our entire community.

See the article here:

Letter to the Editor: Keep Seattle politics out of rural King County - Woodinville Northwest News

SIR Billy Connolly delighted fans today during an appearance on Lorraine's chat show to plug his new book.

Viewers raced to Twitter to cheer on the 78-year-old comedy legend who chatted about his revealing autobiography from his home in Florida.

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Billy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease nine years ago, has been the subject of two books by his wife, Pamela Stephenson, a psychotherapist and former comedian.

But his autobiography, Windswept and Interesting, is out this week.

One viewer tweeted: "Shock horror! A book that I'm definitely buying. Love Billy, looking great!"

Another wrote: "Billy Connolly, what a legend!!"

While a third added: "I was putting the kettle on but I think I heard Lorraine #lorraine say she's got Billy Connolly on."

The Big Yin told Lorraine there are "good days and bad days" now, adding: "The good days outnumber the bad days.

"So I've got nothing to complain about. Someone once told me if you're not feeling well think of the kids in the cancer ward."

Within the pages of his new book Billy reveals how a nude bungee jump in New Zealand and stripping off in the Arctic Circle rank among his top life experiences.

He penned: "I like being naked in public.

"I discovered this made me happy when I was only four years old. It wasn't so much the willy pointing, more a lovely sense of naked freedom."

The Glasgow-born comic added: "As an adult I have danced naked all over the world.

"Over a hundred million viewers have seen my willy. Not many people can say that.

"I have a close relationship with my willy, but I still never minded sharing it with strangers."

The Scottish icon recently admitted he would be "cancelled" if he was starting out as a comic now because of woke culture.

He said he feared his material would be too edgy and hit out at TV bosses for bowing to political correctness.

Asked if he would face a backlash over his classic routines in today's climate, he said: "Absolutely. You can't decide to be fearless, you're either fearless or you're not and you go about it. Because of political correctness people have pulled in the horns.

"I couldn't have started today with the talent I had then. There's a show in America with all black comedians, men and women.

"They are totally ruthless and without political correctness.

"They have me on the floor howling with laughter. It's just the cheek of them and the bravery of it." But he added: "There was a comedian who had a television series and the suits were going to take it off at the first commercial break.

"They have no bravery. We need people who give people time and a chance to develop and all of that stuff."

Connolly shot to fame in the 1970s but upset religious groups with routines like the Last Supper and Crucifixion, where Jesus begins his last days with a booze-up in a pub in the city's Gallowgate.

Connolly retired from stand-up in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's, but is filming new TV series Billy Connolly Does... for the Gold channel.

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Lorraine fans delighted to see Billy Connolly looking so well as he plugs new book amid Parkinsons b... - The Sun

Back in May 2011 I joined the I Grew Up In Fairfield Too Group, or IGUIFT, Facebook group that Fairfielder Rick Williams started in 2009. Soon thereafter I was inspired to write a fictional nostalgic piece for my Monday The Last Laugh column. It was called Back to the Future of Fairfields Past. It was about me taking my moms old Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon, outfitted with a flux capacitor, which everyone knows is what makes time travel possible, back to when I first came to Fairfield in the summer of our nations bicentennial.

Tony Wade: Back in the Day

I wove into the column references to numerous places that old-time Fairfielders would instantly recognize, like Wonder World, Eucalyptus Records, Fosters Freeze and Smorga Bobs. I couldnt help mentioning the Fairfield Area Rapid Transit or FART buses, which I later found out werent around in 1976 oops.

That column resonated with a lot of folks and I subsequently pitched an idea to DR managing editor Glen Faison about doing a separate column that was kinda, sorta based on local history. Back in the Day was launched in June 2011. I now call Back to the Future of Fairfields Past my column zero (https://bit.ly/ColumnZero) in my ongoing Back in the Day series.

I remember at first really worrying that I would not have enough material to write about and initially it was a bi-weekly affair until Glen asked me to do it weekly after 50 columns.

Well, today is my 500th Back in the Day column!

I have taken my identity as an accidental local historian to heart and just put one foot in front of the other and tried to write columns that I would like to read. The one thing that I wanted to do was make them participatory like the Facebook group and include quotes from locals. That was truly a no-brainer because so much of what they posted in the IGUIFT group was thought-provoking or poignant or hilarious and often a combination of the three.

The DR used to do a thing called Dial-A-Bio where they would call up random local people and tell their stories in an article. Sometimes they were fascinating, sometimes they were not so much, but they were always interesting.

I stole, er, borrowed that concept, but didnt do it randomly. I started to incorporate written snapshots of locals into Back in the Day columns in a feature I call Ordinary Folk History. Thus far they have included ones on Warren Sheldon, Judy Anderson Engel, Yolanda Elmo Messer, Abe Bautista, Susan Macy Luckenback and others.

Other locals whose stories Ive written include first African-American Fairfield police officer Cleo Patton, community theater legend Barbara McFadden, vocal coach/actress/singer Connie Lisec, educator/first principal of Fairfield High School Sam Tracas, Fairfield-raised Sacramento attorney Melinda Guzman, funk band Con Funk Shuns frontman Michael Cooper, dentist/director/philanthropist Dr. Philip J. Rashid, Judge Ramona Garrett and many more.

While the emphasis has always been hyper local Fairfield Ive also written columns about every city in Solano County, including ones about The Wooz (Vacaville), the M & M Skateway (Suisun City), the Zodiac killer (Vallejo), Dixie the Dinosaur (Dixon), the Mizner boys (Benicia) and Humphrey the humpback whale (Rio Vista).

Here are some mosts:

Most popular: Weirdly enough, I would have to say that the one about a horrific 1928 mass murder in Fairfields Chinatown takes that honor. I dont do many columns on true crime, but people eat that stuff up.

Most controversial: I wrote a column about my friend Nanciann Greggs grandmother, who belonged to a womens auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan. Nanciann is a bajillion years away from that and some wondered why I would write it. Uh, because it is something I would like to read.

Most fun: This is a tie. The ones I truly enjoy are those where I get to be an amateur detective, like determining why exactly all the Sambos restaurants, including Fairfields, closed (it was not political correctness; bad business decisions), and the others are ones I wrote about were hysterical gossip columns that used to be in the Armijo High School newspapers back in the 1940s.

The natural progression from the column was to write my book, Growing Up In Fairfield, California. The response to it has been wonderful and I am thrilled that so many have been touched by it. I have had an absolute blast selling and signing copies for people and I am genuinely grateful for the many folks who have stopped by and told me how much they enjoy my writing.

My last big selling and signing event of the year for my book is going to be from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Joes Buffet. While having William Shatner, Capt. James T. Kirk himself, actually go into space this week was so meta, if you want to go deeper, what could be more meta than having lunch and hanging out at Joes in Fairfield while getting a book about Fairfield that has a chapter that highlights Joes Buffet in Fairfield?

If your head wont explode, I would love to see you there.

Thanks for reading!

Reach Fairfield humor columnist, accidental local historian and author of The History Press book Growing Up In Fairfield, California Tony Wade at[emailprotected].

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Back in the Day: This is my 500th Back in the Day column! - Fairfield Daily Republic